FICON Native

Implementation and
Reference Guide
Architecture, terminology, and
topology concepts

Planning, implementation, and

migration guidance

Realistic examples and

scenarios

Bill White
Margaret Beal
Bernard Filhol
Manfred Lindenau
Ken Trowell

ibm.com/redbooks
 SG24-6266-00
International Technical Support Organization

FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

August 2001
 Take Note!
Before using this information and the products it supports, be sure to read the general information in Appendix E,
“Special notices” on page 265.

First Edition (August 2001)

This edition applies to FICON channel adaptors installed and running in FICON native (FC) mode in the IBM zSeries
900 procressors (at hardware driver level 38) and the IBM 9672 Generation 5 and Generation 6 processors (at
hardware driver level 26).

Comments may be addressed to:

IBM Corporation, International Technical Support Organization
Dept. HYJ Mail Station P099
2455 South Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601-5400

When you send information to IBM, you grant IBM a non-exclusive right to use or distribute the information in any
way it believes appropriate without incurring any obligation to you.

© Copyright International Business Machines Corporation 2001. All rights reserved.

Note to U.S Government Users - Documentation related to restricted rights - Use, duplication or disclosure is subject to restrictions
set forth in GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
The team that wrote this redbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Comments welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x

Chapter 1. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .1
1.1 How to use this redbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .1
1.2 Introduction to FICON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .2
1.3 zSeries 900 and S/390 9672 G5/G6 I/O connectivity . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .3
1.4 zSeries and S/390 FICON channel benefits . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .4

Chapter 2. FICON topology and terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .7

2.1 zSeries and S/390 FICON channel topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .7
2.1.1 Point-to-point configuration (N_Port to N_Port) . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .9
2.1.2 Switched point-to-point configuration (N_Port to F_Port) . . . . .. . . . .10
2.2 zSeries, S/390, Fibre Channel and FICON terminology . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .12
2.2.1 FICON (SB-2) switched point-to-point connection terms . . . . .. . . . .12
2.2.2 FICON (SB-2) point-to-point connection terms . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .14

Chapter 3. FICON architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

3.1 Fibre Channel standard architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
3.2 Introduction to FC-FS and FC-SB-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
3.2.1 FC-FS and FC-SB-2 communication initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
3.2.2 Fabric Login (FLOGI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
3.2.3 N_Port Login (PLOGI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
3.2.4 Fabric support Extended Link Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
3.2.5 Fabric address support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
3.3 z/Architecture FICON channel I/O request flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
3.3.1 zSeries Channel Subsystem Port address generation . . . . . . . . . . . .31
3.3.2 FICON FC-SB-2 Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
3.3.3 FICON frame format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
3.3.4 Native FICON frame process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
3.3.5 Buffer-to-buffer credit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Chapter 4. Processor support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .41

4.1 zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 processor FICON native support .. . . . . .. . . . .41
4.1.1 ESCON and FICON channel connectivity support . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .42
4.1.2 FICON channel support for zSeries processors . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .45
4.1.3 zSeries supported I/O types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .47

Chapter 5. z/OS and OS/390 software support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

5.1 z/OS and OS/390 FICON APARs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
5.2 HCD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
5.2.1 HCM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
5.3 IOCP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
5.3.1 zSeries 900 processor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
5.3.2 9672 G5/G6 processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
5.4 System Automation I/O-Ops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
5.4.1 FICON Director management software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
5.5 RMF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
5.6 DFSMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
5.7 z/VM and VM/ESA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 iii

 5.8 VSE/ESA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
5.9 TPF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

6.1 McDATA ED-5000 FICON Director overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
6.2 McDATA ED-5000 hardware components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
6.2.1 MPC card. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
6.2.2 CMM card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6.2.3 CTP card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6.2.4 Port cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6.2.5 Fan module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
6.2.6 Power supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
6.2.7 Operator panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
6.2.8 FICON Director CUP support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
6.2.9 McDATA ED-5000 FICON Director configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
6.2.10 McDATA ED-5000 FICON Director documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
6.3 McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
6.4 McDATA ED-6064 hardware components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
6.4.1 Cable Management assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
6.4.2 Front bezel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
6.4.3 Control Processor (CTP) card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
6.4.4 Fibre Port Module (FPM) card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
6.4.5 Power supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
6.4.6 RFI shield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
6.4.7 Power module assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
6.4.8 Fan module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
6.4.9 Backplane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
6.4.10 FICON Director CUP support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
6.4.11 McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
6.4.12 McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director documentation: . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
6.5 McDATA FICON Director EFC Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
6.5.1 EFC Server hardware requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
6.5.2 McDATA FICON Director Network configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
6.5.3 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
6.5.4 McDATA FICON Director Product Manager overview. . . . . . . . . . . . 78
6.5.5 Monitoring and managing the FICON Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
6.5.6 Configuring the FICON Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Chapter 7. Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON Director . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 91

7.1 Inrange FC/9000-64 FICON Director Overview . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 91
7.2 Inrange FC/9000 hardware components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 92
7.2.1 I/O Module (FIO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 92
7.2.2 Switching Module (FSW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 92
7.2.3 Control Module (FCM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 92
7.2.4 Backplane module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 93
7.2.5 Power supply assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 93
7.2.6 Fan module assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 93
7.3 Inrange FC/9000-64 FICON Director configuration . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 94
7.3.1 FICON Director CUP support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 96
7.3.2 FICON Director port address mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 96
7.3.3 Inrange FC/9000-64 FICON Director documentation . . . .. . . . . .. . 97
7.4 Inrange FC/9000-64 IN-VSN Enterprise Manager software . . .. . . . . .. . 97
7.4.1 Working with the Enterprise Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . 99

iv FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Chapter 8. IBM 2105 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .109
8.1 FICON resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .109
8.1.1 Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .109
8.1.2 FICON adapters . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .110
8.1.3 Logical paths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .111
8.1.4 Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .111
8.2 Software support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .111
8.3 Configuration considerations . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .111
8.3.1 Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .111
8.3.2 Availability and performance . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .112

Chapter 9. IBM 3590 Model A60 .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .113

9.1 FICON resources . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .113
9.1.1 FICON adapters . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .114
9.1.2 Logical paths. . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .114
9.1.3 Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .115
9.2 Software support . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .115
9.3 Configuration considerations . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .115
9.3.1 Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. . . .115

Chapter 10. IBM 3170 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

10.1 FICON resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
10.1.1 FICON adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
10.1.2 Logical paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
10.1.3 Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
10.2 Software support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
10.3 Configuration considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
10.3.1 Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
10.3.2 Number of paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

11.1 z/Architecture and S/390 FICON channel configuration support . . . . . .121
11.1.1 Design steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
11.1.2 FICON point-to-point configuration design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
11.1.3 FICON switched point-to-point configuration design . . . . . . . . . . .125
11.1.4 FICON design awareness areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
11.1.5 S/390 Architecture, FICON and ESCON implementations . . . . . . .135
11.1.6 FICON channel to control unit characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
11.2 FICON and ESCON channel connectivity differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
11.2.1 ESCON (CNC) channel connectivity to LCUs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
11.2.2 FICON Bridge (FCV) channel connectivity to LCUs . . . . . . . . . . . .137
11.2.3 FICON channel connectivity to LCUs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
11.3 ESCON and FICON connectivity intermix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
11.4 Remote site connections and distances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
11.4.1 Remote site connections using ESCON channels . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
11.4.2 Remote site connections using FICON channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
11.4.3 GDPS and FICON channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146
11.5 FICON connectivity recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
11.5.1 Channel path connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
11.5.2 How many FICON channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
11.5.3 Maximum I/O concurrency exploitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
11.5.4 Mixing different control unit types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
11.5.5 FICON and Channel-to-Channel (CTC) connections . . . . . . . . . . .152

v
 Chapter 12. FICON - Fibre Channel cabling . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. 153
12.1 Basic implementation options . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. 153
12.2 Basic FICON cabling terminology . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. 153
12.3 Key items for fiber cable planning . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. 155
12.3.1 FOSA types and fiber modes . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. 156
12.3.2 Link loss budget. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. 157
12.3.3 Distance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. 157
12.4 Fiber extender and fiber repeater. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. 160
12.5 Reusing of existing cables and trunks . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. 162
12.6 Mixed cabling implementation example . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . .. 165

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 167

13.1 FICON native channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 167
13.1.1 IOCP definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 167
13.1.2 HCD definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 173
13.2 FICON control unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 176
13.2.1 Control unit paths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 176
13.2.2 Link addresses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 177
13.2.3 Logical address (CUADD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 177
13.2.4 Unit addresses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 177
13.2.5 IOCP resource checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 178
13.3 FICON device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 178
13.3.1 IOCP resource checking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 178
13.4 Mapping HCD definition and FICON frame contents . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 179
13.5 FICON Director (2032). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 180
13.5.1 IOCP definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 181
13.6 FICON ESS (2105) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 183
13.6.1 IOCP definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 183
13.6.2 HCD definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 185
13.7 FICON tape control unit (3590) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 185
13.7.1 IOCP definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 185
13.7.2 HCD definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 186
13.8 FICON printer (3170) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 186
13.8.1 IOCP definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 187
13.8.2 HCD definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. 187

Chapter 14. FICON migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

14.1 Hardware considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
14.1.1 FICON processors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
14.1.2 FICON Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
14.1.3 FICON control units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
14.2 Software considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
14.2.1 Channel programming considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
14.2.2 Vendor UIMs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
14.3 Migration recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
14.4 Migration scenario #1 - ESCON to FICON native (FC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
14.5 Migration scenario #2 - control unit resources exceeded . . . . . . . . . . . 197
14.6 Migration Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
14.6.1 FICON 2105. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
14.6.2 FICON 3590. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
14.6.3 FICON 3170. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

15.1 Fibre Channel FICON operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

vi FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 15.1.1 FICON channel I/O operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
15.1.2 CCW and data prefetch and pipelining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
15.1.3 Synchronization of read-to-write transition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
15.1.4 PCI synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213
15.1.5 Frame multiplexing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216
15.2 Comparison of FICON and ESCON I/O operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217
15.3 FICON performance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
15.3.1 zSeries channel performance paradigms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
15.3.2 Parallel - ESCON - FICON comparisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
15.3.3 S/390 ESCON and FICON operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
15.3.4 zSeries ESCON Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
15.3.5 zSeries FICON Bridge (FCV) channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
15.3.6 zSeries FICON native (FC) channels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
15.3.7 zSeries FICON channel benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
15.4 RMF reporting for FICON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227
15.4.1 FICON channel support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227
15.4.2 Device-active-only time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229

16.1 zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 FICON problem determination . . . . . . . . . . . .229
16.1.1 zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 channel problem determination panels. .229
16.1.2 FINISAR Fibre Channel GTX System Protocol Analyzer trace . . . .231
16.2 INRANGE FC/9000 problem determination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
16.3 McData problem determination logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236
16.4 z/OS and OS/390 FICON problem determination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
16.4.1 z/OS and OS/390 commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
16.4.2 Systems Automation for OS/390 I/O-Ops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244
16.4.3 GTF trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247
16.4.4 ICKDSF logical paths report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249

Appendix A. Determining the EC level of the CPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Appendix B. Determining the stand-alone IOCP release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

Appendix C. SMF record changes for FICON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Appendix D. FICON Director port configuration worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Appendix E. Special notices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Appendix F. Related publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

F.1 IBM Redbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
F.2 IBM Redbooks collections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
F.3 Other resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
F.4 Referenced Web sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

How to get IBM Redbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269

IBM Redbooks fax order form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279

IBM Redbooks review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285

vii
viii FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
Preface
This IBM Redbook covers the planning and implementation of FICON channels,
operating in FICON native (FC) mode for the IBM zSeries 900 and 9672
Generation 5 (G5) and Generation 6 (G6) processors. It discusses the FICON
and Fibre Channel architectures, terminology, and supported topologies.

This book provides information about the available FICON native products,
system and I/O device setup, availability and recovery considerations, and
migration recommendations. It focuses on installing the new FICON Directors
and FICON native control units in both a new and existing ESCON and FICON
channel environment. Helpful information for monitoring and managing a FICON
native (FC) environment is also included.

In this document you will find examples of the z/OS and OS/390 definitions
required to support FICON native control units and FICON Directors, as well as
migration scenarios for control units using ESCON (CNC) channels or FICON
Bridge (FCV) mode channels to FICON native (FC) mode channels.

This redbook is intended for system programmers, hardware planners, and

system engineers who will plan and install FICON native (FC) products in a
zSeries 900 and 9672 Generation 5 (G5) and Generation 6 (G6) environment. A
good background in systems planning, hardware and cabling infrastructure
planning, and I/O definitions (HCD or IOCP) is assumed.

The team that wrote this redbook

This redbook was produced by a team of specialists from around the world
working at the International Technical Support Organization Poughkeepsie
Center.

Bill White is a project leader and Senior Networking Specialist at the

International Technical Support Organization, Poughkeepsie Center.

Margaret Beal is a z/OS and OS/390 Level 2 support specialist, based in Sydney,
Australia. She has 25 years of experience in OS/390 software support and her
areas of expertise include I/O Supervisor and HCD.

Bernard Filhol is a Product Engineering specialist in Montpellier France. He has

27 years of experience in IBM Large Systems Technical Support. He holds a
degree in Electronics from the Institute of Technology of Montpellier. His areas of
expertise include S/390 and zSeries Channel Subsystem, Parallel, ESCON,
FICON and Coupling Facility interfaces.

Manfred Lindenau is a S/390 and zSeries specialist in Germany. He has 22

years of experience in IBM Large Systems Technical Support and is working in
the German Support Center in Mainz. His areas of expertise include S/390 and
zSeries Channel Subsystem, Parallel, ESCON and FICON interfaces.

Ken Trowell is a S/390 and zSeries specialist who has worked both in the field in
IBM Australia (and many other countries) and in the IBM Development Lab in
Poughkeepsie. He has worked with FICON Design and has an extensive
background in both the design and implementation of I/O channel subsystems
and I/O configurations.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 ix

 Thanks to the following people for their contributions to this project:

Robert Haimowitz
International Technical Support Organization, Poughkeepsie Center

Alfred Schwab
Editor
International Technical Support Organization, Poughkeepsie Center

Charles Hubert, Brain Jacobs

IBM FICON/ESCON Switch Development

Jim Horton
IBM MPM Sevice Planning

Kirby Dahman
IBM Tape Architecture/Performance

Michael L. Cooper, David Shields

IBM Boulder

Phillip Mills
IBM San Jose

Larry Steele
IBM Tucson

Petra Scherer
IBM Germany

Paulus Usong
IBM ATS Storage Systems

Harry Yudenfriend
IBM z/OS IOS Design

Thanks to the authors of the FICON Native Implementation redbook:

Mario Almeida
IBM Brazil

Wolfgang Fries
IBM Germany

Kuno Kern
IBM Germany

Comments welcome
Your comments are important to us!

We want our Redbooks to be as helpful as possible. Please send us your

comments about this or other Redbooks in one of the following ways:
• Fax the evaluation form found in “IBM Redbooks review” on page 285 to the
fax number shown on the form.

x FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

• Use the online evaluation form found at ibm.com/redbooks
• Send your comments in an Internet note to [email protected]

xi
xii FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
Chapter 1. Overview
This redbook discusses the planning and implementation of FICON channels
operating in FICON native (FC) mode, in new or existing zSeries 900 or S/390
9672 Generation 5 (G5) and Generation 6 (G6) environments.

This guide includes detailed information in the areas of:

• FICON Directors and control units supporting the FICON architecture
(FC-SB-2)
• ESCON and FICON intermixing support for both the zSeries 900 processor
and the 9672 G5 and G6 processors
• Considerations and options for FICON fiber cabling
• z/OS or OS/390 definition changes required to support FICON channels,
FICON control units and FICON Directors
• Migration of control units from ESCON (CNC) channels or FICON channels in
FICON Bridge (FCV) mode, to FICON channels in FICON native (FC) mode
• Hardware and software tools available for problem determination in a FICON
environment.

In this chapter, there is a guide to referencing the other chapters in the redbook
according to task. There is also an introduction to FICON, including an overview
of the benefits of a FICON environment.

1.1 How to use this redbook

The intent of this redbook is primarily to provide material to assist with the
implementation of FICON native (FC) channels. It also contains technical
reference material to provide background information on the Fibre Channel
architecture, which is new to many from an S/390 and z/Architecture background.
There is also information to assist those who provide ongoing technical support in
a FICON environment.

Use Table 1 as a guide for referencing the material required for a specific task.
FICON awareness is required at various levels to carry out each task.
Table 1. Task roadmap

Task Chapter

FICON awareness “FICON topology and terminology” on page 7

“FICON architecture” on page 17

FICON implementation

Configuration design “Processor support” on page 41

“FICON channel configurations” on page 121
“FICON migration” on page 189

Hardware readiness “Processor support” on page 41

“FICON migration” on page 189
“FICON - Fibre Channel cabling” on page 153

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 1

 Task Chapter

Software readiness “z/OS and OS/390 software support” on page 49

“FICON migration” on page 189
“FICON channel operation and performance” on
page 205

McDATA switch “McDATA FICON Directors” on page 57

implementation “FICON Director port configuration worksheet” on
page 263
“FICON I/O definition” on page 167

Inrange switch “Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON Director” on page 91

implementation “FICON Director port configuration worksheet” on
page 263
“FICON I/O definition” on page 167

IBM ESS installation “IBM 2105” on page 109

“FICON I/O definition” on page 167

IBM 3590 installation “IBM 3590 Model A60” on page 113

“FICON I/O definition” on page 167

IBM 3170 installation “IBM 3170” on page 117

“FICON I/O definition” on page 167

FICON support

Performance monitoring “FICON channel operation and performance” on

page 205

Problem determination “FICON problem determination” on page 229

1.2 Introduction to FICON

As with the introduction of any new technology, there are a number of new
characteristics, and new terminology, topology, and other functional areas that
need to be understood in designing an I/O configuration that will exploit the new
technology. This section introduces the basics of these areas for the FICON
channel in FICON native (FC) mode. Later chapters cover these same areas in
greater detail.

The zSeries 900 and S/390 9672 G5/G6 processors’ support of the FICON
channel allows the FICON channel to operate in one of two modes:
• A FICON channel in FICON Bridge (FCV) mode allows access to S/390
ESCON control units with ESCON interfaces by the FICON channel in FICON
Bridge (FCV) mode that is connected to a 9032-5 ESCON Director FICON
Bridge adapter.
• A FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode allows access to FICON native
interface control units either directly by a FICON channel in FICON native
(FC) mode (FICON native point-to-point), or from a FICON channel in FICON
native (FC) mode connected through a Fibre Channel FICON Director (FC
switch), also known as FICON native (FC) mode switched point-to-point. The
architecture that describes the FICON operation when the FICON channel is
operating in FICON native (FC) mode is the FC-SB-2 architecture.
The term FC when used in the phrase FICON native (FC) mode refers to the
mode that the FICON channel is defined to operate in, and in this book it also

2 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 means that the FICON channel when operating in FICON native (FC) mode
uses the FC-4 architecture rules as described in the FC-SB-2 and FC-FS
architecture documents.

A FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode and a FICON channel in FICON
Bridge (FCV) mode support different topologies and have different support
requirements. This redbook covers planning and implementation for FICON
channels in FICON native (FC) mode. It does not cover the operation of the
FICON channel operating in FICON Bridge (FCV) mode. Refer to FICON (FCV
Mode) Planning Guide, SG24-5445 for information about FICON operation in
FCV mode.

The terms (FC) and FC is used throughout this book when referring to either the
mode of operation of the channel or parts of the Fibre Channel architecture.
Examples of the use of (FC) and FC are:
• FICON native (FC) mode - the zSeries and 9672 G5 and G6 processor
definition of a FICON channel defined to operate in the FC-SB-2 architecture
mode
• FC-2 - the Fibre Channel (FC-FS) level 2
• FC-4 - the Fibre Channel (FC-FS) level 4
• FC-FS - Fibre Channel - Framing and Signalling architecture
• FC-PI - Fibre Channel - Physical Interface architecture

Refer to Chapter 2, “FICON topology and terminology” on page 7 and Chapter 3,

“FICON architecture” on page 17 for more details.

1.3 zSeries 900 and S/390 9672 G5/G6 I/O connectivity

Figure 1 shows the I/O connectivity support provided by the zSeries 900
processor and the S/390 9672 G5 and G6 family of processors.

Chapter 1. Overview 3
 zSeries 900 (2064)
and S/390 9672 G5/G6 CF01
ISC 2064 - 100
3590
(Fiber re-use) TapeCU
ISC ICB FICON
Switched 2105
Point-to-Point Point-to-Point
FICON ESS CU
IC FC
Channel FICON Switch
Printer
Native FICON
CU
FICON Bridge
(Fiber re-use)
ESCON ESCD ESCON Control
FICON
(CTC)
Bridge Unit
ESCON ESCD ESCON Control
ESCON
Unit
9034 Parallel
Converter
ESCON Control
Unit
Parallel Parallel
ESCON ESCON

Control Control Control Control Control

Unit Unit Unit Unit Unit
OSA-2 OSA-2 OSA-E

Figure 1. zSeries 900 (2064) and S/390 9672 G5/G6 I/O connectivity

The fiber connection serial channel-to-control unit support is provided by:

• ESCON channels (CNC)
ESCON CNC mode channels support point-to-point and switched
point-to-point topologies.
• FICON channel in FICON Bridge (FVC) mode
FICON connection to a 9032 model 5 ESCON director FICON Bridge card
supports conversion from a FICON channel to ESCON control units.
• FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode
The connection to a FICON native control unit is either direct (FICON
point-to-point) or through a FICON (FC) switch connection (FICON switched
point-to-point).

1.4 zSeries and S/390 FICON channel benefits

A FICON channel operating in FICON native (FC) mode introduces a number of
benefits.

Increased number of concurrent connections

FICON provides an increased number of channel-to-control unit concurrent I/O
connections. ESCON supports one I/O connection at any one time while FICON
native (FC) mode channels support multiple (up to 16 or more) concurrent I/O
connections.

Increased distance
With FICON, the distance from the channel to control unit or channel to switch or
switch to CU link is increased using dark fiber. The distance for ESCON of 3 km is

4 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

increased to up to 10 km (20 km with RPQ) for FICON channels using long
wavelength laser FOSAs.

Increased FC link bandwidth

The link bandwidth is increased from 20 MBps for ESCON to 100 MBps for
FICON with fibre channel.

Increased distance to data droop effect

The channel-to-CU end-to-end distance before data droop is increased from 9 km
for ESCON to up to 100 km for FICON.

Increased channel device address support

Support is increased from 1,024 devices for an ESCON channel and up to 16,384
for a FICON channel operating in either FICON Bridge (FCV) mode or FICON
native (FC) mode.

Common use of Fibre Channel communication and topology

FICON implements common use of Fibre Channel channel-to-cu communication
(FC-FS) and topology. FICON is an FC-4 level and uses the Fibre Channel
standard Framing and Signalling (FC-FS) protocol for communication using the
same topology (FC switch Fabric) as other FC-4 levels (such as FC-FCP).

Greater exploitation of IBM ESS 2105 Parallel Access Volumes (PAV)

FICON enables greater exploitation of the features of the IBM ESS 2105, such as
Parallel Access Volumes (PAV), by allowing more I/O operations to be started for
a group of channel paths.

Greater exploitation of priority I/O queueing

FICON channels use frame and Information Unit (IU) multiplexing control to
provide greater exploitation of the priority I/O queueing mechanisms within the
FICON-capable control units.

Better utilization of the FC links

Frame multiplexing support by the FICON channels, FC switches, and FICON
control units offers better utilization of the FC links.

The benefits of FICON channels operating in FICON native (FC) mode are the
result of exploiting features of both the Fibre Channel infrastructure and the
FICON (FC-SB-2) architecture. The Fibre Channel provides for higher link
utilization through frame multiplexing and link pacing.

The link pacing is made possible through the use of buffer credits (this prevents
the overrunning of the port capabilities at both ends of a link). The Fibre Channel
switch introduces frame packet switching (frame multiplexing), which provides
better utilization of the links than circuit switching does. The ESCON director
uses circuit switching.

The FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode offers benefits through the use
of CCW and data prefetching and pipelining, which leads to a reduction in
required communication and communication interlock hand-shaking. The pacing
of operations between the channel and the control unit is controlled by channel IU
pacing support.

Each of these concepts is explained in more detail in the chapters that follow.

Chapter 1. Overview 5
6 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
Chapter 2. FICON topology and terminology
This chapter describes the topology supported by a FICON channel when in
FICON native (FC) mode and the terminology used for describing components
used in the Fibre Channel topology in the FICON channel-to-CU path, and the
terminology that is used for certain communication actions by the FICON
channel. There are a number of topologies associated with Fibre Channel and
FICON channel configurations, although not all are currently supported by
zSeries 900 or the 9672 G5/G6 processors. The topologies include:
Point-to-point (a FICON and Fibre Channel fabric term)
Switched point-to-point (a FICON term)
Switched fabric (a FICON Multi-switch cascade switching term and a Fibre
Channel fabric term)

This chapter describes the topologies that are supported by the zSeries 900 and
9672 G5/G6 processors.

2.1 zSeries and S/390 FICON channel topology

A FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode uses the Fibre Channel
communication infrastructure supported by the zSeries 900 and 9672 G5/G6 to
transfer zSeries and S/390 channel programs (CCWs) and data from one zSeries
or S/390 FICON adapter node (server or processor FICON channel) to another
FICON adapter node (storage device or CU FICON interface).

As shown in Figure 2 on page 8, a FICON channel can operate in one of three

modes:
• FICON Bridge (FCV) mode to a 9032 Model 5 ESCON Director
• FICON native (FC) mode, point-to-point to a FICON-capable control unit
This communication uses the FC-SB-2 (FICON) architecture for its FC-4 layer.
• FICON native (FC) mode, switched point-to-point through a Fibre Channel
FICON-capable switch to a FICON-capable control unit
This communication uses the FC-SB-2 (FICON) architecture for its FC-4 layer.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 7

 FICON Bridge Connections (FCV mode):
ESCON
CU
FICON
zSeries and Channel 9032-5 ESCON Exploit FICON Channel with
9672 G5/G6 FICON
ESCD CU Existing ESCON Control Units
Servers Bridge
ESCON
ESCON
CU
Links

Native FICON Native (FC mode) Point-to-Point Connectivity

FICON
zSeries and Channel Native FICON Control Units
FICON
9672 G5/G6 CU
FC Link
Servers

Native FICON Native (FC mode) Switched Point-to-Point Connectivity

FICON
Channel FICON
FC Link
CU
zSeries and FICON Full Dynamic Switching of
9672 G5/G6 FC Links Switch
FICON Control Units
Servers FICON
FC Link CU
FICON
Channel

Figure 2. FICON connections and topologies

With a FICON channel in FICON Bridge (FCV) mode, the connectivity is from a
zSeries 900 or a 9672 G5/G6 processor FICON channel to an ESCON control
unit. The FICON channel connection is always to an ESCON Director that has a
FICON Bridge card installed, for example the 9032-5. The connection is then
from the ESCON Director to an ESCON interface at the control unit. There can be
up to eight concurrent connections (concurrent I/O operations) between the
zSeries or 9672 G5/G6 FICON channel (in FCV mode) and ESCON control units.
Each of the concurrent connections would be to different ESCON Director
destination ports, and to different control units attached to the ports.

With a FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode, the connectivity is from a
zSeries 900 or a 9672 G5/G6 processor FICON channel to a FICON capable
control unit. The connection is from the FICON native (FC) mode channel to
either an FC switch (Fibre Channel Switch) and then onto a FICON control unit
(switched point-to-point connectivity), or directly to a FICON capable control unit
with a FICON adapter installed (point-to-point connectivity).

The FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode supports multiple concurrent I/O
connections. Each of the concurrent I/O operations can be to the same FICON
control unit (but to different devices) or to different FICON control units.

Note that this publication refers to both a FICON-capable Fibre Channel switch
(FICON switch) and a FICON Director. FICON switch is a generic term for a

8 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 switch that supports the transferring of frames containing FC-SB-2 architecture
payloads and supports the FC-FS Extended Link Services (ELSs) that the FICON
channel in FICON native (FC) mode requires, whereas the FICON Director
requires all of the preceding items plus has an internal N_Port that supports the
zSeries and S/390 feature called a Control Unit Port function, or CUP.

The following major items and areas are required to establish connectivity
between a processor’s FICON channel and the control unit FICON adapter:
• Fibre Channel cables
- 9 micron single-mode fiber cables (9 um SM)
- 50 micron multimode fiber cables (50 um MM)
- 62.5 micron multimode fiber cables (62.5 um MM)
• Transmission types
- Short wavelength Laser 850 nano meters (SW laser 850 nm)
- Long wavelength Laser 1300 nano meters (LW laser 1300 nm)
• Fibre Channel standard interface
- FC-PI physical interface architecture
• Fibre Channel standard protocol
- FC-FS Protocol architecture
- FC-SB-2 Protocol architecture
• Point-to-point (Node_Port to Node_Port)
- Fabric Login (FLOGI) - Node_Port to Fabric_Port login
- Port Login (PLOGI) - Node_Port to Node_Port login
• Switched point-to-point (Node_Port to Fabric_Port to Node_Port)
- Fabric Login (FLOGI)
- Node_Port Login (PLOGI)
• Channel to CU communication
- Command and data prefetching (z/Architecture)
- CCW and Data pipelining (FC-SB-2 architecture)

In a point-to-point connection the Fibre Channel (FC) links are between the
processor FICON channel card FICON port (N_Port) and the FICON adapter card
FICON port (N_Port) in the control unit.

In a switched point-to-point connection there are two Fibre Channel (FC) links.
One is between the FICON channel card FICON port (N_Port) and the Fibre
Channel switch (FC Switch) Fibre Channel adapter card FC port (F_Port), then
internally within the switch to another Fibre Channel adapter card FC port
(F_Port), and then to a FICON adapter card FICON port in the Control Unit
(N_Port).

2.1.1 Point-to-point configuration (N_Port to N_Port)

A channel path that consists of a single link interconnecting a FICON channel in
FICON native (FC) mode to one or more FICON control unit images (logical
control units) forms a point-to-point configuration. A point-to-point configuration is

Chapter 2. FICON topology and terminology 9

 permitted between a channel and control unit only when a single control unit is
defined on the channel path or when multiple control unit images (logical control
units) share the same N_Port in the control unit. A FICON channel point-to-point
configuration is shown in Figure 3 on page 10.

The channel N_Port and the control unit N_Port are responsible for managing the
access to the link among the logical images.

A maximum of one link can be attached to the channel in a point-to-point

configuration. The maximum number of control unit images that are supported by
the FICON architecture over the FC to Control Unit link is 256, therefore the
maximum number of devices that can be addressed over a channel path
configured point-to-point is equal to 256 times 256, or 65,536. Refer to “FICON
channel operation and performance” on page 205 for the number of supported
control units by FICON.

Server Storage

Fabric Login (FLOGI)

Determine fabric connection

(Point-to-Point or Switched Point-to-Point)

FC Link Control Unit

FICON
Channel FICON Port
N_Port (Optical Link) N_Port

N_Port assigns the Fibre Channel Destination_ID

Fibre Channel

zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 Configuration Definition - Path Addressing

Processor Storage Unit

Channel Image CU Image
Channel N_Port CU N_Port

Figure 3. FICON native point-to-point configuration

The FICON channel determines whether the link that it is connected to is in a

point-to-point or switched point-to-point topology. It does this by logging into the
fabric, fabric login (FLOGI ELS), and checking the accept response to the fabric
login (ACC ELS). The FLOGI - ACC (accept) response will indicate whether the
channel N_Port is connected to another N_Port (point-to-point) or a F_Port (fabric
switch port).

2.1.2 Switched point-to-point configuration (N_Port to F_Port)

A FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode connects one or more processor
channel images to a Fibre Channel link, which connects to a Fibre Channel
switch, and then dynamically to one or more FC switch ports (internally within the
switch). From the switch ports there is another Fibre Channel link to FICON CU
ports, which interconnects with one or more control units and/or images (logical
control units). This forms a switched point-to-point configuration; see Figure 4 on
page 11.

10 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Multiple channel images and multiple control unit images can share the resources
of the Fibre Channel link and the Fibre Channel switch, such that multiplexed I/O
operations can be performed.

Channels and control unit links can be attached to the Fibre Channel switch in
any combination, depending on configuration requirements and on available
resources in the Fibre Channel switch.

Sharing a control unit through a Fibre Channel switch means that communication
from a number of channels to the control unit can take place either over one
switch to CU link (in the case where a control unit has only one link to the Fibre
Channel switch), or over multiple link interfaces in the case where a control unit
has more than one link to the Fibre Channel switch.

Just one Fibre Channel link is attached to the FICON channel in a FICON
switched point-to-point configuration, but from the switch the FICON channel can
communicate with (address) a number of FICON CUs on different switch ports.
Once at the control unit, the same control unit and device addressing capability
exists as for the point-to-point configuration. However, the communication and
addressing capability is greatly increased for the channel when the channel is
connected to a Fibre Channel switch with the ability to use the domain and port
address portion of the 24-bit N_Port address (8 bits for the domain and 8 bits for
the port) to access multiple control units.

Note that the domain address portion of the FC 24-bit port address would be
different if there were more than one switch (cascade switching) in the
channel-to-control unit path. Cascade switching is currently not supported by the
zSeries 900 or 9672 G5/G6 processors.

Server Fabric Storage

Fabric Login (FLOGI)
Determine fabric connection
(Point-to-Point or
FICON Switched Point-to-Point) Control Unit
Channel FICON Port
FC
FC Links Switch FC Links

FICON Control Unit

Channel FICON Port

Fibre Channel

zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 Configuration Definition - Path Addressing

Processor Storage Unit

Channel Image Link @ (Port @) CU Image
Channel N_Port CU N_Port

Figure 4. FICON native switched point-to-point configuration

The communication path between a channel and a control unit is composed of

two different parts, the physical channel path and the logical path.

Chapter 2. FICON topology and terminology 11

 In a FICON switched point-to-point topology (with a single switch) the physical
paths are the FC links, or interconnection of two FC links connected by a Fibre
Channel switch, that provides the physical transmission path between a channel
and a control unit.

A FICON (FC-SB-2) logical path is the relationship established between a

channel image and a control unit image for communication during execution of an
I/O operation and presentation of status.

2.2 zSeries, S/390, Fibre Channel and FICON terminology

This section describes some of the new terms used in a FICON native (FC) mode
channel environment. The description covers the terminology used when the
FICON channels are operating in a FICON channel point-to-point configuration
and a FICON channel switched point-to-point configuration. The FICON
topologies are discussed in more detail in the “zSeries and S/390 FICON channel
topology” on page 7.

Fibre Channel support and the FICON channel using the FC-SB-2 protocol
introduce the following topologies:
• Point-to-point - no switch between the channel (server) and the CU (storage
device), supported by a FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode
• Switched point-to-point - a single switch between the channel (server) and the
CU (storage device), supported by a FICON channel in FICON native (FC)
mode
• Cascade switching - with two switches in the channel-to-CU path
• Cascade switching - with multiple switches in the channel-to-CU path
• FC fabric - consists of one or more Fibre Channel switches with
interconnection switching routes

In the current zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 implementation, only FICON (SB-2 mode)
point-to-point (no FC switch) and FICON (SB-2 mode) switched point-to-point
(one FC switch in the channel-to-CU path) topologies are supported, therefore
only those terms that apply to these two supported topologies are used in this
chapter.

2.2.1 FICON (SB-2) switched point-to-point connection terms

Figure 5 on page 13 illustrates the FICON native channel (SB-2 mode) switched
point-to-point topology and shows the various components that can be used in
the FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode channel-to-CU path.

12 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FICON (FC-SB-2)
Fibre Channel
FC Switch
Fabric
LP1 Matching Matching Matching FC-FS
LW or SW LW or SW LW or SW
z/OS FOSAs FOSAs FOSAs
Fiber
Single FC Switch
Extenders
FICON FICON
LP2 FC
FC-SB-2 Switch CU/Device
OS/390 Optical Optical Optical
F_Port F_Port
Link Link Link
N_Port Buffer Buffer N_Port
LP3 IU Buffer Credits Credits Buffer
z/OS Pacing Credits Credits
FC Link FC Link FC2
Fabric Login Fabric Login
FOSA Port Login
FC (well known port addresses)
N_Port Port Login (N_Port Login)
FC
F_Port Logical Path (Establish Logical Path) FC-SB-2
Processor Control Unit Image
Channel Image (LCU - CUADD) Link

Channel Path to Device

CHPID - Switch.Link.(Port-AL) - CUADD.UA Device
Logical Path
( S/390 - FC-2 - FC-SB-2 )
Mask (LPM)

Figure 5. FICON native switched point-to-point topology

Figure 5 introduces the new FICON native terms, which are used in a switched
point-to-point topology.
Optical Link The optical link is the physical link between 2 Fiber Optic
Subassembly(FOSAs) of the same wavelength and type (LW
laser or SW Laser), in general the wavelengths used by the
FOSAs must match. The fibre cable connecting the FOSAs can
be a single-mode (9um) or a multimode (50 um or 62.5 um) cable
depending on the type of FOSA in the FICON adapter card. The
maximum distance for the optical link depends on the type of
FOSAs used (LW or SW) and on the type of fiber cables (SM or
MM, MCP) used to connect the FOSAs. Refer to “FICON - Fibre
Channel cabling” on page 153 for physical planning of the optical
link.
Fibre Channel Link (FC Link)
In a FICON native (FC) mode switched point-to-point connection,
the Fibre Channel link (FC link) is a communication link between
a FICON adapter in the processor (server) and a Fibre Channel
switch port (N_Port-to-F_Port), also between a Fibre Channel
switch port and a FICON adapter in a Control Unit (storage
device) (F_Port-to-N_Port). This includes any optical fiber
extenders that may be in the FC link. The maximum distance for
an FC link depends on the Buffer-to-Buffer credits provided by the
FC adaptors at each end of the FC link, the N_Ports and the
F_Ports.

Chapter 2. FICON topology and terminology 13

 Fabric Login All N_Ports (FICON Channel ports and FICON CU ports)
connected by the FC link to a FC switch must first successfully
execute a Fabric Login (FLOGI) to the fabric (fabric F_Port), as
described in FC-FS architecture, before the N_Ports can
successfully execute any other FC-2 ELS or before sending any
FC-4 protocol frame (for FICON an FC-FS - FC-SB-2 frame). The
Fabric Login process determines the presence or absence of a
Fabric. If a fabric is present, it assigns or confirms the N_Port
identifier of the N_Port which initiated the Fabric Login. Refer to
“Fabric Login (FLOGI)” on page 24 for further details about the
Fabric Login process.
Port Login If a fabric is present, as determined by the response to the Fabric
Login procedure, an N_Port proceeds with destination N_Port
Logins (PLOGI), and to Fabric Service well known port addresses
(for a FICON channel switched point-to-point environment the
channel performs this action). Refer to “N_Port Login (PLOGI)” on
page 26 for further details about N_Port Login.
Logical Path The FICON (FC-SB-2) Establish Logical Path (ELP) function is
performed from a channel image (processor Logical Partition
image) to a control unit image (logical control unit) to request the
establishment of a logical path. A channel attempts to establish a
logical path to the control unit images that are described in its
configuration definition.
Buffer Credits The Fibre Channel FC-2 level uses the Buffer-to-Buffer credits
flow control to pace the transfer of frames from one N_Port to the
N_Port at the other end of the link.
IU Pacing This FICON (FC-SB-2) status parameter is sent by the control
unit to the channel to indicate the maximum number of IUs a
channel can send before a command response IU is expected.
FOSA The Fiber Optic SubAssembly consists of a transmitter that
converts an electrical signal to an optical signal, and a receiver
that converts an optical signal to an electrical signal. There are
two FOSA types, long wavelength and short wavelength.

2.2.2 FICON (SB-2) point-to-point connection terms

Figure 6 on page 15 introduces the new FICON native terms, which are used in a
point-to-point topology.

14 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FICON (FC-SB-2)
Fibre Channel
Point-to-Point (no FC Switch)
LP1 Matching FC-FS
z/OS LW or SW
N_Port FOSAs N_Port

FICON SM (9 um) or MM (50 um or 62.5 um) Fiber Optic Cable FICON

LP2
FC-SB-2 CU/Device
OS/390
Channel Optical Link
Buffer Buffer
Credits Credits
LP3
z/OS FC Link
FC2
Fabric Login
Fabric Login
FOSA
Port Login (N_Port Login)
FC
N_Port

Logical Path (Establish Logical Path) FC-SB-2

Processor Control Unit Image
Image (LCU - CUADD) Link

Channel Path to Device

CHPID - Switch.Link.(Port-AL) - CUADD.UA Device
Logical Path
( S/390 - FC-2 - FC-SB-2 )
Mask (LPM)

Figure 6. FICON native point-to-point topology

Optical Link The optical link is the physical link between 2 FOSAs of the same
Type (LW or SW Laser). The fiber cable connecting both FOSAs
can be an SM (9 um) or an MM (50 um or 62.5 um) cable
depending on the type of FOSA in the FICON adapter card. The
maximum distance for the optical link depends on the type of
FOSAs used (LW or SW) and on the type of fiber cables used to
build the link (SM or MM, MCP). Refer to “FICON - Fibre Channel
cabling” on page 153 for physical planning the optical link.
Fibre Channel Link (FC Link)
In a point-to-point connection the Fibre Channel link (FC link) is
the Link between the two N_Ports. This may also include Fibre
Extenders. The maximum distance for the FC link depends on the
buffer-to-buffer credits provided by both N_Ports.
Fabric Login Both ports connected by the FC Link have to do a Fabric Login
(FLOGI) as described in the FC-FS architecture. Fabric Login
determines the presence or absence of a fabric. If a fabric is not
present, an Accept with the specification of N_Port in Common
Service Parameters indicates that the requesting N_Port is
attached in a point-to-point topology. Refer to “Fabric Login
(FLOGI)” on page 24 for further details.
N_Port Login If a fabric is not present, as determined by performing the Fabric
Login procedure, one of the two N_Ports proceeds with
destination N_Port Login (PLOGI). This returns the Service

Chapter 2. FICON topology and terminology 15

 Parameter of the responding N_Port. Refer to “N_Port Login
(PLOGI)” on page 26 for further details.
Logical Path The Establish Logical Path function (FICON FC-SB-2) is
performed from a channel image (processor logical partition
image) to a control unit image (logical control unit) to request the
establishment of a logical path. A channel attempts to establish a
logical path to the control unit images that are described in its
configuration definition.

16 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Chapter 3. FICON architecture
This chapter describes the parts of the Fibre Channel standard architectures:
• Fibre Channel - Framing and Signalling (FC-FS)
• Fibre Channel - Physical Interface (FC-PI)
• Fibre Channel - Single Byte-2 (FC-SB-2)
• Fibre Channel - Switch Fabric (FC-SW)

These architectures are used by the zSeries 900 and 9672 G5 and G6
processors supporting FICON channels in FICON native (FC) mode and the
FICON Architecture (FC-SB-2).

The zSeries processors support the z/Architecture, which provides the instruction
and operation details for the start and subsequent completion of an I/O operation.
The z/Architecture I/O operation consists of channel commands and data (data
that is associated with the commands). The commands and data (Write
operation) are transferred from the zSeries processor storage to the channel and
then to the Storage Device (Control Unit). For Read operations the data is
transferred from the Storage Device to the zSeries channel and then to processor
storage.

This chapter covers the use of the zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 FICON channel in
FICON native (FC) mode using the Fibre Channel architecture to support the
zSeries I/O operations; see Figure 7.

z/Architecture or S/390 Architecture

z/Architecture CU/Device
Channel Programs Architecture
Commands and Data
FICON FICON
FC-SB-2 FC-SB-2

Fibre Channel
Server
zSeries 900 or IBM ESS Model F20 (2105)
9672 G5/G6 Storage Control Unit/Device

LP1 CU Device
Device
z/OS Image Device
FICON FICON
LP2 FC-SB-2 FC FC-SB-2 CU Device
Device
OS/390 FC-FS Switch FC-FS Image Device
FC-PI FC-PI
LP3 CU Device
Device
z/OS Image Device

Server to Storage communication - Commands and Data

Figure 7. z/Architecture - server to device communication

The scope of each of the Fibre Channel architectures, and other Fibre Channel
FC-4 level architectures, plus the z/Architecture and S/390, and the CU/Device

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 17

 architecture, used in support of FICON channel I/O operations (FICON in native
(FC) mode) are shown in Figure 8.

Server - N_Port Storage-Device - N_Port

LP1 CU Device
Device
z/OS Image Device
FICON N_Port F_Port F_Port N_Port FICON
LP2 FC-SB-2 FC FC-SB-2 CU Device
Switch Device
OS/390 FC-FS FC-FS Image Device
FC-PI FC-PI
LP3 FC Switch (FC-SW) CU Device
z/OS Device
Image Device

Fibre Channel Fibre Channel

Physical Interface Physical Interface
(FC-PI) (FC-PI)

Fibre Channel (FC-FS)

FICON (FC-SB-2)

z/Architecture or S/390 Architecture

z/Architecture CU/Device
Channel Programs Architecture
Commands and Data

Figure 8. Fibre Channel architectures and z/Architecture

3.1 Fibre Channel standard architecture

The Fibre Channel (FC) standard architecture was developed by the National
Committee for Information Technology Standards (NCITS). The NCITS is a
United States-based standards body.

Figure 9 on page 19 illustrates the different levels (FC-0 to FC-4) described by

the various Fibre Channel standard architectures (FC-PI, FC-FS and the ULPs).

18 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FC-FCP FC-SB-2
Audio / Video IPI / (SCSI) / HIPPI / SB / IP (FICON) P / 802.2

FC-4 Multimedia Channels Networks

Mapping
Upper Level Protocol (ULP)

FC-3 Common Services

FC-2 Framing Protocol and Flow Control

Signalling
Protocol
FC-FS

FC-1 Encode and Decode

Transmission
Protocol

FC-0 Transmitters and Receivers

FC-PI
Interface and Optical Interface - Cable and Receptacle Specification
Media

Figure 9. Fibre Channel standard architecture

The Fibre Channel (FC) standard architecture includes:

• Fibre Channel - Framing and Signalling (FC-FS)
Describes the signaling protocol of the high-performance serial link for support
of higher-level protocols associated with HIPPI, IPI, FC-FCP (SCSI), FC-SB2
(FICON), and others.
This architecture covers the Fibre Channel levels FC-1, FC-2, and some parts
of the FC-3 level.
The FC-FS architecture consolidates the relevant clauses of FC-PH (the initial
Fibre Channel architecture), its amendments 1 and 3, and FC-PH-2 and
FC-PH-3 standards, but does not replace those standards. In this redbook the
FC-FS architecture is referred to as the zSeries 900 and 9672 G5/G6
processors, which implement many of the FC-FS functions. These functions
are described in more detail in the FC-FS architecture.
ANSI NCITS xxx-200x FC-FS T11/Project 1331D
• Fibre Channel - Physical Interface (FC-PI)
The Fibre Channel physical interface (FC-0), specified in FC-PI, consists of
the transmission media, transmitters, receivers, and their interfaces. The
physical interface specifies a variety of media and associated drivers and
receivers capable of operating at various speeds.
ANSI NCITS xxx-200x FC-PI T11/Project 1235D
• Fibre Channel Physical and Signaling Interface (FC-PH)
Describes the point-to-point physical interface, transmission protocol, and
signaling protocol of high-performance serial links for support of higher level
protocols associated with HIPPI, IPI, SCSI, FC-SB2 and others.
ANSI X3.230-1994

Chapter 3. FICON architecture 19

 • Fibre Channel - Switch Fabric (FC-SW)
ANSI X3T11/Project 959-D/Rev 3.3
• The FC-SB2 (FICON) architecture information can be obtained from the
following Web site:
www.t11.org
• Single-Byte Command Code Sets Connection Architecture (SBCON)
ANSI X3.296-199x
• Fibre Channel Fabric Generic Requirements (FC-FG)
Describes minimum requirements for a topology-independent interconnecting
fabric to support FC-PH.
ANSI X3.289-199x
• Fibre Channel Switch Fabric (FC-SW)
Specifies tools and algorithms for interconnection and initialization of FC
switches to create a multi-switch Fibre Channel Fabric.
ANSI X3T11/Project 959-D/Rev 3.3

Note that this list includes those Fibre Channel architectures that are used during
an I/O request for a FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode.

3.2 Introduction to FC-FS and FC-SB-2

The following sections provide an overview of the structure, concepts and
mechanisms used in Fibre Channel (FC), FC-FS and FC-SB-2.

Fibre Channel Node (channel) to Fibre Channel Node (control unit)

communication over a Fibre Channel link takes place between a pair of Node
Ports (N_Ports), one N_Port associated with a channel (for example, processor
Node N_Port) and the other N_Port associated with the control unit (for example,
disk Control Unit Node N_Port).

Server Storage Device

(Processor) (Disk CU)
Node Fibre Fibre Node
Channel Channel
Link Link

Channel N_Port FC N_Port CU

N_Port Switch N_Port
F_Port F_Port

Channel CU
N_Port N_Port

Figure 10. FICON switched point-to-point N_Port to N_Port communication

20 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

FC-FS (FC-1 and FC-2) defines all of the functions required to transfer
information from one N_Port to another N_Port. The physical interface FC_PI
(FC-0) consists of transmission media, transmitters, receivers, and associated
interfaces.

FC-SB-2 is an FC-4 protocol and is based on the Single-Byte Command Code

Set (SBCCS).

The FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode provides connectivity to FICON
control units and does not require a 9032-5 bridge card (which is required when
the FICON channel is defined in FICON Bridge (FCV) mode). Connectivity to a
FICON control unit can be by a switched point-to-point topology, or a
point-to-point topology.

For a FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode, the communication

connectivity from a zSeries 900 or 9672 G5/G6 processor FICON channel is to a
FICON-capable control unit interface port, either to a Fibre Channel switch port
(FC switch port) and then from another FC switch port to a FICON control unit (in
a single-switch switched point-to-point topology), or directly from a FICON
channel in FICON native (FC) mode to a FICON control unit with a FICON
adapter installed (point-to-point).

The FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode supports multiple concurrent I/O
operations between the FICON channel and the FICON control unit (but to
different device addresses or device numbers), or between the FICON channel
and multiple different FICON control units (to devices in those control units). The
number of concurrent I/O operations between the FICON channel in FICON
native (FC) mode and FICON control units (control unit devices) depends on the
processor model (Server), FICON Director, configuration definition, and the
control unit (Storage Device) operation and performance.

Fibre Channel N_Node to N_Node communication is always from a Processor

(Node) Channel (N_Port) port-address to the Control Unit (Node N_Port)
port-address. The N_Port port-addresses are either decided by the switch fabric
(that the N_Port is connected to) in a switched point-to-point topology (Figure 10
on page 20), or one of the two N_Ports in a point-to-point topology (Figure 11 on
page 22).

Chapter 3. FICON architecture 21

 Server Storage Device
(Processor) (Disk CU)
Node Node

Channel
Fibre Channel Link
CU
N_Port N_Port

Channel CU
N_Port N_Port

Figure 11. Point-to-point N_Port-to-N_Port communication

3.2.1 FC-FS and FC-SB-2 communication initialization

Before a FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode can perform normal
command and data transfer operations from the channel to a FICON control unit,
several initialization steps must first occur. Some of the initialization steps are
part of the FC-FS architecture, and some are mandatory while others are optional
(by the FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode). Also required are some
initialization steps that are part of the FC-SB-2 architecture (FICON).

The FC-FS and FC-SB-2 initialization steps between the nodes and ports are:
• Channel/Switch FC link initialization (FC-FS)
• Channel to the Switch ELSs- (FC-FS)
• Switch to the Channel ELS - (FC-FS)
• Control Unit/Switch FC link initialization (FC-FS)
• Control Unit to the Switch ELSs - (FC-FS)
• Switch to Control Unit ELS - (FC-FS)
• Channel to Control Unit ELS and FC-4 Device Level (FC-FS and FC-SB-2)

Figure 12 on page 23 shows the overall steps that are performed during the
initialization process.

22 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Server Node Storage Device Node
FICON (FC-SB-2)
FC-FS
LP1 Fibre Channel (FC-FS and FC-PI)
z/OS FC Switch Fabric (FC-SW)
Single FC Switch
FICON N_Port F_Port F_Port N_Port
LP2 FC FICON
FC-SB-2 Switch CU/Device
OS/390
FC Link
1 FC Fibre Link Initialization Initialization 1 FC-1

LP3 2 Fabric Login (FLOGI) Fabric Login (FLOGI) 2

z/OS Port Login (PLOGI) Port Login (PLOGI) FC-2
3 (well known port addresses) (well known @s) 3
4 SCR - RNID (ELSs) SCR - RNID (ELSs) 4
5 RNID (ELS) RNID (ELS) 5
6 PLOGI (Mgt Srvr) LIRR (ELSs)

7 Port Login (N_Port Login - PLOGI)

8 LIRR - RNID (ELS)

9 Logical Path (Establish Logical Path - ELP) Link

Processor Control Unit Image
Channel Image Channel Path to Device (CUADD) FC-SB-2
10 CHPID - Domain.Link.AL-Port - Channel Image -CU Image - Device Address(UA) + DIB
Logical Path Device
Mask (LPM) S/390 -------- FC-2 -------- -------------------------- FC-SB-2 --------------------------
S_ID and D_ID

Figure 12. FICON channel and FICON Control Unit initialization steps

• Step 1 - Channel (N_Port) and Switch F_Port link initialization (Idle/Idle).

• Step 1 - Control Unit (N_Port) and Switch F_Port link initialization (Idle/Idle).
• Step 2 - Channel N_Port, Fabric login (FLOGI) to the attached port.
Response to the FLOGI will allow the Channel N_port to determine if it is
connected to an F_Port or an N_port.
• Steps 2 - Control Unit N_Port, Fabric login (FLOGI) to the attached fabric port.
Response to the FLOGI will allow the Control Unit N_Port to determine if it is
connected to an F_Port or an N_Port.
• Step 3 - Channel port N_Port login (PLOGI) to the FC switch “well-known port
addresses.”
- Fabric Controller
• Step 3 - Control Unit port N_Port login (PLOGI) to the FC switch “well-known
port addresses.”
- Fabric Controller
• Step 4 - Channel port performs switch support ELS requests for SCR, and
RNID.
• Step 4 - Control Unit port performs switch support ELS requests for SCR and
RNID.
• Step 5 - Switch F_Port performs RNID ELS requests to the attached N_Port
(Channel N_Port).
• Step 5 - Switch F_Port performs RNID ELS requests to the attached N_Port
(Control Unit N_Port).
• Step 6 - Channel port N_Port login (PLOGI) to the FC switch “well-known port
addresses” and an ELS for LIRR.

Chapter 3. FICON architecture 23

 - Management Server
- LIRR ELS
• Step 7 - Channel port performs N_Port login (PLOGI) to “defined” Control Unit
N_Port.
The channel will perform this for each Control Unit N_Port for each CU link
address defined on this channel path.
A FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode CU link address is a 1-byte
switch port address. It is the “area” field of the 24-bit FC F_Port address of the
switch port that the CU is connected to.
• Step 8 - Channel port performs CU support ELS requests for LIRR and RNID.
• Step 9 - Channel port performs an FC-SB-2 “Establish Logical Path” (ELP).
The channel will perform an ELP from each channel image that is defined to
access the channel, and to the defined logical CU on this channel path CU link
address.
• Step 10 - Normal FICON FC-2 communication frames (FC-FS - FC-SB2
frames).

3.2.2 Fabric Login (FLOGI)

Server Fabric Storage

Fabric switch assigns Fabric switch assigns

Node the N_Port address Switch the N_Port address Node

FLOGI FLOGI
ACC (F_Port) + (D_ID) ACC (F_Port) + (D_ID) Control Unit
FICON
Channel FICON Port
N_Port N_Port
FC
F_Port F_Port
FC Links Switch FC Links
N_Port N_Port
FICON F_Port F_Port
Control Unit
Channel FLOGI FLOGI FICON Port
ACC (F_Port) + (D_ID) ACC (F_Port) + (D_ID)

Fibre Channel

Figure 13. FICON native (FC) mode fabric login (FLOGI) - switched point-to-point

Login with the fabric (FLOGI) is required for all Node Ports (N_Ports).
Communication with other N_Ports is not allowed until the N_Port Fabric Login
(FLOGI) procedure is complete. Also each Server N_Port is required to login
(PLOGI) with each Storage N_Port with which it intends to communicate; see
“N_Port Login (PLOGI)” on page 26.

The fabric login and port login are methods by which an N_Port establishes its
operating environment with a fabric, if present, and other destination N_Ports
with which it communicates.

In a switched point-to-point topology, the N_Port is first required to login to the

fabric. In the FC-FS architecture this function is the FLOGI Extended Link Service

24 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

(ELS). The response from the fabric port to the FLOGI should be an ACC
(accept) ELS with the assigned F_Port port address of the N_Port in the ACC
(accept) FC-2 header; see “Fibre Channel FC-2 header format” on page 34 for
details on the format of the FC-2 header. This action is performed separately by
both the FICON channel N_Port and the FICON CU N_Port. This is how, in a
switched point-to-point topology, an N_Port determines its port address from the
F_Port that is at the other end of the Fibre Channel link. See Figure 13 on
page 24.

Later, when communication is required from the FICON channel port to the
FICON CU port, the FICON channel (using FC-SB-2 and FC-FS protocol
information) will provide both the address of its port: the source port address
identifier (S_ID), and the address of the CU port: the destination port address
identifier (D_ID) (when the communication is from the channel N_Port to the CU
N_Port).

It is important to understand that the Fibre Channel architecture does not specify
how a Server N_Port determines the destination port address of the Storage
Device N_Port it needs to communicate to. This is Node and N_Port
implementation dependent. Basically, there are two ways that a server can
determine the address of the N_Port that it wishes to communicate to:
• The “discovery” method, by knowing the World Wide Name (WWN) of the
target Node N_Port and then requesting a WWN for the N_Port port address
from a Fibre Channel Fabric Service called the fabric Name Server.
• The “defined” method, by the Server (Processor channel) N_Port having a
known predefined port address of the Storage Device (CU) N_Port that it
requires to communicate to.
This latter approach is referred to as the “port address definition approach”,
and is the approach that is implemented for the FICON channel in FICON
native (FC) mode by the zSeries 900 and the 9672 G5/G6, using either the
z/OS HCD function or an IOCP program to define a 1-byte switch port (1-byte
FC “area” field of the 3-byte fiber channel N_Port port address).

Logging into the fabric (FLOGI) provides the N_Port with fabric characteristics for
the entire fabric as defined in the fabric’s service parameters. The service
parameters specified by the N_Port provide the fabric with information regarding
the type of support the N_Port requests.

The Fabric Login (FLOGI) and a successful ACC (accept) response accomplish
five functions:
• It determines the presence or absence of a fabric.
• If a fabric is present, the ACC (accept) response provides a specific set of
operating characteristics associated with the entire fabric.
• If a fabric is present, the fabric optionally assigns or confirms the native
N_Port identifier (N_Port 24-bit FC port address) of the N_Port which initiated
the Login.
• If a fabric is present, it initializes the buffer-to-buffer credit.
The buffer-to-buffer credit represents the number of receive buffers supported
by a port (N_Port or F_Port) for receiving frames. The minimum value of
buffer-to-buffer credits is one. The buffer-to-buffer credit value is used as a

Chapter 3. FICON architecture 25

 controlling parameter in the flow of frames over the FC link to avoid possible
overrun at the receiver; see 3.3.5, “Buffer-to-buffer credit” on page 40.
• If a fabric is not present, an Accept with the specification of N_Port in common
service parameters indicates that the requesting N_Port is attached to another
N_Port (point-to-point topology); see Figure 14.

D etermine topology (Point-to-Point)

FLOG I response to a FLO GI or an ACC with N_Port
connection indicated, indicates a P oint-to-Point connection

Server FLOG I F LOG I Storage

Node AC C (N _Port) ACC (N_Port) Node

PLO GI (S_ID and D_ID)
For Point-to-Point the
PLOGI port assigns
the S_ID and D _ID
(FC-FS 17.4.1) FC Link
FIC ON Control Unit
Channel (O ptical Link) FICON Port
N_Port N_P ort

N_Ports assign the Fibre Channel Destination_ID

F ibre Channel

Figure 14. FICON native (FC) mode fabric login (FLOGI) - point-to-point

The same initial action (FLOGI), logging in to the fabric, is also required for an
N_Port in a point-to-point topology, but that action will make the N_Port aware
that it is connected in a point-to-point topology and then perform a different action
to determine the two N_Port port addresses. For a FICON channel in FICON
native (FC) mode point-to-point configuration, no N_Port port addresses are
defined for the attached CU N_Port. The actual port address to use for this
configuration is obtained by the channel.

3.2.3 N_Port Login (PLOGI)

Destination N_Port Login (PLOGI) follows the Fabric Login procedure. N_Port
Login provides each N_Port with the other N_Port’s service parameters.
Knowledge of a destination N_Port’s receive and transmit characteristics is
required for data exchange.

If a fabric is present, as determined by performing the Fabric Login procedure, a

FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode proceeds with destination N_Port
Login. The N_Port login is performed to several fabric well-known addresses
(’FFFFFx’), and to each CU N_Port defined on this FICON native (FC) mode
channel.

26 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Server Fabric Storage
Switch
Node Node
PLOGI (PLOGI to CU N_Port)
ACC (Accept)

Control Unit
FICON
Channel
FICON Port
N_Port FC N_Port
FC Links Switch FC Links
N_Port N_Port
FICON Control Unit
Channel FICON Port

Fibre Channel

Figure 15. FICON native (FC) mode N_Port login (PLOGI) - switched point-to-point

Successful response to a PLOGI is an accept ELS (ACC). The accept to the

PLOGI contains the N_Port’s service parameters, which establish the operating
environment between the two N_Ports. It includes attributes, such as the
maximum frame size, that can be received.

If a fabric is not present, the N_Port Login procedure provides the service
parameters of the responding N_Port.

In a FICON native (FC) mode channel switched point-to-point environment a

PLOGI is performed by the channel to each CU link address defined to be
accessed from the channel. “Fabric address support” on page 28 explains how
the CU 1-byte link address definition is used in building the actual 24-bit Fibre
Channel port address (the control unit’s N_Port port address).

In a FICON native (FC) mode channel point-to-point environment a PLOGI is

performed by either the channel N_Port or the CU N_Port. Each N_Port looks at
the service parameters of the others’ N_Port, and whichever of the two N_Ports
has the higher World Wide Name (WWN), that N_Port will assign the N_Port port
addresses for both N_Ports and perform the PLOGI. Therefore, the other N_Port
will be provided with its N_Port port address for an FC point-to-point connection
when the PLOGI ELS is performed .

3.2.4 Fabric support Extended Link Services

The channel N_Port will register/perform the following ELS:
• SCR
• LIRR
• RIND

Chapter 3. FICON architecture 27

 The Control Unit N_Port will register/perform the following ELS:
• SCR
• RIND

3.2.5 Fabric address support

The fiber channel architecture (FC-FS) uses a 24-bit FC port address (3 bytes)
for each port in an FC switch. The switch port addresses in a FICON native (FC)
mode are always assigned by the switch fabric.

For the FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode, the Accept (ACC ELS)
response to the Fabric Login (FLOGI), in a switched point-to-point topology,
provides the channel with the 24-bit FC N_Port address that the channel is
connected to. This N_Port address is in the ACC destination address field (D_ID)
of the FC-2 header.

The FICON CU port will also perform a fabric login to obtain its 24-bit FC port
address.

zS eries and the 967 2 G 5/G 5 F IC O N chan nels in F IC O N nativ e (F C ) m od e us e the

C h annel-to-C U p ath definition app roac h.
zS eries and the 967 2 G 5/G 6 F IC O N chan nels in F IC O N nativ e (F C ) m od e do not
use the fab ric port add ress disc ove ry app roac h.
zS eries and the 967 2 G 5/G 6 u se H C D /IO C P to d efine the F IC O N C o ntro l U n it's
N _ P ort add ress .
F ib re C h a n n e l
F C -F S 24 bit fabric add ress ing - D e stina tion ID (D _ ID )
s w itc h
D om a in A re a A L (P o rt)
8 b its 8 bits 8 b its

zS eries and 967 2 G 5/G 6 a ddre ssin g us age for fabric po rts

D o m a in P o rt @ C o n s ta n t

zS e ries and 9672 G 5/G 6 de finition o f F C -F S fa bric ports

C U L in k @

Figure 16. Fabric port addressing support

Figure 16 shows the FC-FS 24-bit FC port address identifier is divided into three
fields:
• Domain
• Area
• AL Port

It shows the FC-FS 24-bit port address and the definition usage of that 24-bit
address in a zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 environment. Only the 8 bits making up the
FC port address are defined for the zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 to access a FICON
CU. This is the CU 1-byte Link address. The FICON channel in FICON native
(FC) mode working with a switched point-to-point FC topology (single switch)

28 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 provides the other 2 bytes that make up the 3-byte FC port address of the CU to
be accessed.

The zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 processors, when working with a single switch,
switched point-to-point topology, require that the Domain and the AL_Port
(Arbitrated Loop) field values be the same for all the FC F_Ports in the switch.
Only the “area” field value will be different for each of the switch F_Ports.

For the zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 the “area” field is referred to as the F_Port’s
“port address” field. It is just a 1-byte value, and when defining access to a CU
that is attached to this port (using the zSeries HCD or IOCP), the port address is
referred to as the CU Link address.

As shown in Figure 17, the 8 bits for the domain address and the 8-bit constant
field are provided from the Fabric Login initialization result, while the 8 bits (1
byte) for the port address (1-byte CU Link address) are provided from the zSeries
or 9672 G5/G6 CU link definition (using HCD and/or IOCP).

FC-FS and FC-SB-2 fabric port addressing usage

Domain Area AL Port

Switch @ Port @ Constant

FC-Switch
Obtained from the ACC
response to the FLOGI for
the zSeries and S/390 zSeries and S/390
Configuration Design
and Definition
CU Link @
FICON Control Unit
Channel FICON Port

S_ID D_ID

Channel to CU communication

Figure 17. FICON single switch - switched point-to-point CU link address

3.3 z/Architecture FICON channel I/O request flow

In a zSeries 900 or 9672 G5/G6 processor running z/OS or OS/390,
communication to a FICON CU/device occurs as a result of initiation of an I/O
request from an application or a system component. A general flow of the I/O
request is shown in Figure 18 on page 30.

Chapter 3. FICON architecture 29

 Application z/OS I/O Requests I/O Request (Macros or SVC 0)
I/O SSCH - SID and ORB (LPM + CPA)
IOS UCB SSCH (ORB)
Interrupt plus ORB - M, Y and P, bits

zSeries Channel Subsystem CSS - Path selection

FICON Channel zSeries FICON native (FC) mode

ESCON Fetches and CCWs & Data
Channel FC-SB-2 (FICON) protocol
FC4 (FC-SB-2)
(IU initiation and FICON - IUs)
FC3 (Services)
FC2 (Framing) FC-2 (FC-FS) FC frames
Encode/
FC1 Decode
FC0 (Optics)
FC-FS FC-2 frames, protocol type = FC-SB-2 (FICON)
FC-2 SB-2 IU DIB DIB SB-2 FC-2
SOF LRC EOF
Header Header Header Header Data Field CRC CRC

ESCON FC Port addressing

Topology Fibre Channel S_ID D_ID
Fabric FC-2 Hdr - S_ID D_ID

ESCON CU FICON CU D_ID S_ID

Figure 18. z/Architecture FICON channel I/O request flow

A FICON I/O request flow is as follows:

1. An application or system component invokes an I/O request.
2. The I/O request is passed to the SCP I/O supervisor (IOS).
3. IOS issues a Start Subchannel (SSCH) instruction to pass the I/O request to
the zSeries 900 or 9672 G5/G6 channel subsystem (CSS).
4. The operands of the SSCH are the subchannel channel number (subsystem
identification word - SID) and the Operations Request Block (ORB).
5. The ORB contains the starting address of the Channel Programs (CPA)
Channel Command Word (CCW).
6. The CSS selects a channel and passes the I/O request to it.
7. The channel fetches from storage the Channel Command Words and
associated data (for Write Operations).
8. The channel assembles the required parameters and fields of the FC-2 and
FC-SB-2 for the I/O request and passes them to the Fibre Channel adapter
(which is part of the FICON channel).
9. The Fibre Channel adapter builds the complete FC-FS FC-2 serial frame and
transmits it into the Fibre Channel link, fibre cable.
As part of building the FC-FS FC-2 frame for the I/O request, the FICON
channel in FICON native (FC) mode constructs the 24-bit FC port address of
the destination N_Port of the Control Unit, and the Control Unit Image and
device address within the physical CU.

30 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

3.3.1 zSeries Channel Subsystem Port address generation
Whenever a FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode requires access to a
FICON CU/device (this will be when it receives an I/O request from the SCP), it
builds a Fibre Channel serial frame.

The frame contains two parts, the FC-FS FC-2 header part plus the payload part
(the FC-SB-2 parts). The FC-2 header part of the frame holds the source FC port
address (S_ID) and the destination FC port address (D_ID). See “Fibre Channel
FC-2 header format” on page 34 for more details on the FC-2 Header content.
The FC-SB-2 header part of the frame holds the channel image address, the
Control Unit Image address, and the Device Unit Address (UA). See “Fibre
Channel FC-SB-2 frame format” on page 35 for more details on the FC-SB-2
header content.

FICON - Serial Frame (Addressing)

\\ S_ID + D_ID \\ Channel Image ID + Control Unit Image ID + UA DIB

FC-2 Header SB-2 Header

FC-2 Protocol Payload

FICON native (FC) mode - Channel-to-CU communication

Figure 19. FICON native (FC) mode N_Port and device addressing

The D_ID is used by the FC switch fabric to route the FC frame to its final N_Port
destination. The S_ID allows the destination port to know the source port address
of the incoming frame.

Server Storage Device

(Processor) (Disk CU)
Node Node

Fibre Channel Link Fibre Channel Link

N_Port F_Port FC F_Port N_Port

Channel CU
N_Port Switch N_Port

Channel CU
N_Port N_Port

\\ S_ID + D_ID \\ Chan I_ID + CU I_ ID + UA DIB

FC-2 Header FC-SB-2 Header

Channel to CU communication

Figure 20. FICON switched point-to-point (S_ID and D_ID ports)

Chapter 3. FICON architecture 31

3.3.2 FICON FC-SB-2 Communication
In a switched point-to-point topology, for a FICON channel operating in FC mode,
the FC-FS (FC-2) communication frames are from the FICON channel (an
N_Port) to the switch F_Port. The switch will route the communication frames to
the destination F_Port. The desinition F_Port will then send the FC-2 frames on
the switch to a Control Unit port (another N_Port, the destination N_Port).

Server Fabric Storage

Node Switch Node

Control Unit
FICON
Channel FICON Port
N_Port FC N_Port
F_Port F_Port
FC Links Switch FC Links
N_Port N_Port
FICON
F_Port F_Port
Control Unit
Channel FICON Port

zSeries and S/390 Node Image to Control Unit Node CU Image/Device communication
Processor (Node) Control Unit (Node)
Channel (N_Port) Control Unit (N_Port)
FC Port Address FC Port Address
Channel Image (LPAR) Control Unit image (CUADD)
Subchannel (UA) Device Address (UA)

Figure 21. FICON native (FC) channel-to-CU communication

The addressing structure for supporting FC-SB-2 (FICON) communiction from the
channel N_port to a Control Unit N_Port consists of:
• The source and destination N_port addresses that are part of the FC-FS FC-2
header
The destination N_Port address is what is used by the fabric to route the FC-2
frame through the fabric. It is checked at the receiving N_Port to see that it
has been delivered to the correct N_Port.
The source N_Port address is used by the destination N_Port to be aware of
where the source of the frame is, so that, for example, it knows where to
communicate back to.
• The Channel image identifier and the Control Unit image identifier, which are
part of the SB-2 header
Going from the channel to the CU, the Channel image identifier allows the CU
to know which Channel image the frame was from; and allows the CU image
identifier to know who the frame is for.
Going from the CU to the channel, the CU image identifier allows the channel
to know who the frame is from; and allows the Channel image identifier who
the frame is for.
• The device unit address

32 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 This identifies which device in a CU image the communication is for.

The source information that the FICON channel uses for building the FC-2 frame
is shown in Figure 22.

Channel Subsystem - Device Definition

FICON Switched Point-to-Point

Subchannel CHPIDs LA CUADD UA

Image Device # Subchannel # Up to 8 paths defined

CHPIDs LA CUADD UA
Path
Selection

FICON Channel Channel S_ID (ddaapp) D_ID (ddAApp) Channel Image CU Image UA
FC-2 and SB-2
Protocol Obtained from
Initial Channel
Link Initialization
(FLOGI-ACCEPT)

FICON S_ID + D_ID Channel Image ID+ CU Image ID + UA DIB

Serial Frame
<----- FC-2 -----> <------------------- FC-2 Protocol Payload -------------------->
Header <------------------- SB-2 Header -------------------->
FICON native (FC) mode - Channel to CU communication

Figure 22. FICON native (FC) mode D_ID address generation

3.3.3 FICON frame format

FICON uses the Fibre Channel architecture (Fibre Channel serial frames)
communication infrastructure of zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 Fibre Channel adapters
to transfer z/Architecture and S/390 architecture channel programs and data from
one FICON adapter node (server) to another FICON adapter node (storage
device). The Fibre Channel frame contains the FC-FS FC-2 header part plus the
payload part (the FC-SB-2 parts).

Fibre Channel FC-2 frame format

This requires the FICON Fibre Channel adapter node to use the Fibre Channel
protocols (Fibre channel FC-2 layer) and the Fibre channel FC-4 layer that
supports the FC-SB-2 protocols (FICON architecture) in building the FC frame.

Chapter 3. FICON architecture 33

 Fibre Channel - FC2 Frame

Link Control (0)

or
Data Field

SOF Data Field EOF

Idles Header CRC Idles
xx (Optional Header + Payload) xx

24 4
4 Bytes 0 to 2112 Bytes Bytes 4
Bytes Bytes
24 24
Bytes Frame Content Bytes

36 to 2148 Bytes

Figure 23. Fibre Channel FC-2 frame format

Figure 23 shows the frame format of an FC-2 frame. The frame content is
composed of a frame header, data field, and CRC. When the FC-2 header
controls indicate that the frame is an FC-4 frame, the content of the data field is
the FC-4 layer (FC-SB-2). This field is aligned on a word boundary and must be
equal to multiples of 4 bytes. The format of an FC-SB-2 data field is shown in
Figure 25.

Fibre Channel FC-2 header format

All FC-2 ELS frames and FC-4 Device frames have an FC-2 header, which has
various control information as well as the source port address and destination
port address information.

Fibre Channel Frame

FC2 Data Field FC2

SOF EOF
Idles Header Optional Header + Payload CRC Idles
xx xx

bit 31
Frame Header bit 0
Start of Frame (SOF)
Word 0 * R_CTL Destination ID (D_ID)
1 CS_CTL Source ID (S_ID)
2 * TYPE * Frame Control (F_CTL)
3 SEQ_ID DF_CTL SEQ_CNT
4 OX_ID RX_ID
5 Parameter Field (PARM)

Figure 24. Fibre Channel - FC-2 header format

34 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

A complete description of the FC-2 header can be found in the FC-FS
architecture. Two fields of interest here are the Source ID (S_ID), a 24-bit FC port
address, and the Destination ID (D_ID), a 24-bit FC port address.

When FC frame communication is from the channel to the CU, the S_ID is the
24-bit FC port address of the Channel N_Port, and the D_ID is the 24-bit FC port
address of the Control Unit N_Port.

When FC frame communication is from the CU to the channel, the S_ID is the
24-bit FC port address of the Control Unit N_Port, and the D_ID is the 24-bit FC
port address of the Channel N_Port.

Fibre Channel FC-SB-2 frame format

FC-SB-2 is based upon the FC-4 Information Unit construct described by ANSI
Fibre Channel - Framing and Signaling (FC-FS). Information associated with the
execution of an I/O operation and the operation of a device is transferred
between the channel and the control unit as Information Units.

FC2 FC-SB-2 FC2

SOF EOF
Idles Header Optional Header + Payload CRC Idles
xx xx

Reserved CH_ID Reserved CU_ID

SB-2 Header
Device Addr Reserved
IUI DH_FLGS CCW Number
IU Header
Reserved Token
Cmd / Data / Status / Control / Link
Header DIB Header
Reserved IU Cnt DIB Data Count
LRC

DIB Data Field

(0 to 2080 bytes)

SB-2 CRC (if present)

Figure 25. Fibre Channel Standard FC-SB-2 frame format

The FC-SB-2 frame contents are composed of an SB-2 header, the IU header,
the DIB header, and the DIB data field. These fields provide all required
information for addressing and control of the data transfer. The DIB data field is a
variable-length field of up to 2080 bytes.

The SB-2 header contains:

• The Channel image source or destination address
• The Control Unit image source or destination address
• The device Unit Address
• IU Header
• DIB Header
• DIB Field

Chapter 3. FICON architecture 35

 The Fibre Channel Standard architecture was developed by the National
Committee for Information Standards. Detailed information about the Fibre
Channel FC-2 standard and the FC-SB-2 protocol can be obtained from the
following Web site:
www.t11.org

3.3.4 Native FICON frame process

A conceptional view of frame processing in a switched point-to-point
configuration is shown in Figure 26 for a multi-system environment and in
Figure 27 on page 37 for a multi-control unit environment.

Multi-system environment
Figure 26 shows the frame process in a multi-system environment. FICON
(FC-SB-2) architecture provides the protocol for CCW and Data pipelining. This
eliminates the interlocked interface communication that exists in Parallel and
ESCON channels.

zSeries or
S/390 Server FICON native (FC mode) frame transfer
in a multi-system environment
FICON FIC
ON
Channel Fra
me
s

FIC
ON
Fra
zSeries or me
FC Switch
s
S/390 Server
FICON Frames FICON Frames
FICON
FICON Control
Channel Unit
FICON Frames FICON Frames
s
me
Fra
zSeries or O N
FIC
S/390 Server
s
me
Fra
ON
FICON FIC
Full duplex max. of 100MB/sec data transfer in each direction
Channel Multiple systems performing I/O operations concurrently
Multiple operations at a time to/from each system to the CU Port
FC Frames from each system may be multiplexed with other
system frames when they arrive at the FICON CU destination port

Figure 26. FICON Frame transfer in a multi-system environment

Each system transfers its frames, containing commands and/or data (Write
operation) to the FC Switch. The FC Switch then routes the incoming frames from
each system to the CU’s destination port by multiplexing the frames on the switch
to the CU FC link.

When the CU responds to multiple Read request I/O operations, the CU data
frames are transferred to the FC Switch port where the frames are de-multiplexed
to the destination ports (the ports the requesting systems are connected to).

36 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Multiple Control Unit environment
Figure 27 shows the FICON frame process to multiple Control Units.

FICON native (FC mode) frame transfer

FICON
single system to multiple Control Units es Control
ram
ONF Unit
FIC

m es
zSeries and Fra
N
FC Switch FI CO
S/390 Server
FICON Frames FICON Frames
FICON
FICON
Control
Channel
Unit
FICON Frames FICON Frames
FIC
ON
Fr a
me
s
FIC
ON
Fra
m es FICON
Control
Full duplex maximum of 100 MB/sec data transfer in each direction Unit
Single system performing multiple I/O operations concurrently
Multiple operations at a time to/from each CU Port
FC frames from each CU are multiplexed at the destination port (FICON channel switch port)

Figure 27. FICON frame transfer to multiple Control Units

Multiple I/O operations to different Control Units can be transferred at the same
time from a single system through the FC link to the FC Switch. Each frame is
routed to its destination port by the switch and transferred to the destination
Control Unit.

In a response to the I/O request, each Control Unit can transfer its frames at the
same time to the switch, where they are multiplexed to the destination port
(requestor) before being transferred to the system. Figure 28 on page 38 shows
another view of the frame process between multiple S/390 servers and multiple
Control Units.

Chapter 3. FICON architecture 37

 Send: Multiplexed Sequence Frames
Receive: Multiplexed Frames

Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4)

Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4)

FICON
Channel

Control Unit
FICON Port
100 MB
Full Duplex 100 MB
FC Full Duplex
Link Switch Link
Control Unit
FICON Port
FICON
Channel

Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4) Payload (FC4)

FC-SB-2 Fibre Channel Frames

Figure 28. Fibre Channel frames

CCW and data pipelining

While ESCON channel program operation requires a Channel End/Device End
(CE/DE) to be sent to the channel after execution of each CCW, the FICON
native (FC) mode channel supports CCW and Data pipelining. The differences
between ESCON and FICON in CCW operation, and the benefits of CCW and
data pipelining are described in this section.

ESCON Command and Data Transfer

Channel Control Unit Device

CCW1 CCW1 CCW1 CCW1
CE/DE End
CCW2 CCW2 CCW2 CCW2

CE/DE End
CCW3 CCW3 CCW3 CCW3

CE/DE End

CCW interlocked step by step transfer - no CCW or data pipelining

Figure 29. CCW operation on an ESCON channel

CCW operation (command and data transfer) on an ESCON channel is shown in

Figure 29. The channel transfers the command and data to the Control Unit and

38 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

waits for a Channel End/Device End presented by the Control Unit after execution
of the command by the CU/device (CCW interlock). After receiving CE/DE for the
previous command, the next command is transferred to the Control Unit for
execution.

Figure 30 shows a CCW operation for a FICON native (FC) mode channel, which
exploits CCW and data pipelining.

FICON Channel I/O Operation (CCW) - Command and Data Transfer

SSCH FICON Channel Control Unit Device

I/O
Request S/390 FC-SB-2 FC-FS
CCW1 Cmd/Data IU FC2 Frame(s)
CCW1
Data from CCW2 Cmd/Data IU FC2 Frame(s)
CCW2 CMR CMD1 CMD1
Memory Frame(s)
CCW3 Cmd IU FC2 CCW3 End
CCW4 Cmd IU FC2
Frame(s)
CCW4 CMD2 CMD2
CCW5 Cmd IU FC2
Frame(s)
CCW5 End
CCW6 Cmd/Data IU FC2
Frame(s)
CCW6
Data to CCWn Cmd/Data IU FC2 CCWn
Memory
Frame(s) CMD-y
Data IU CMDy
I/O Status IU
Frame
CE/DE (CCW-y) End
Request Frame
Complete Control (StaAcc) IU
I/O Interrupt

FICON SB-2 FC-2 Frame

CCW and Streaming and
Data pipelining Multi-plexing

Figure 30. CCW operation on a FICON channel (CCW pipelining)

With a FICON channel, all CCWs (up to the FICON channel IU pacing limit) are
transferred to the Control Unit without waiting for CE/DE after each I/O operation.
The device presents an end to the Control Unit after each CCW execution. Once
the last CCW of the CCW chain has been executed by the CU/device, the Control
Unit presents CE/DE to the channel.

Benefits of CCW and data pipelining:

• IOQ (I/O queue time) is waiting for a software UCB resource and is measured
by z/OS and OS/390.
- PAV (Parallel Access Volume, a disk feature) reduces this by providing
multiple UCBs and device addresses for the same volume.
• Pending time is waiting for a path to a device or the device itself, and is
measured by the channel subsystem.
- Reduced channel busy—multiple starts to the same channel path
- Reduced/eliminated destination port busy—connectionless communication
and switch port buffer credits
- Reduced CU busy—CUs implement CU queuing; supports multiple I/O
operations
- Reduced device busy—CUs support multiple allegiance

Chapter 3. FICON architecture 39

 • Connect time is time for the actual execution of the I/O request, and is
measured by the channel subsystem.
- Reduced for long records—more data per FC frame (packet)
- FC frame multiplexing, allows for better link utilization, but may extend
some connect times
• Disconnect time is waiting for access to the data or to reconnect, and is
measured by the Control Unit and the channel subsystem.
- Reduced destination port busy—connectionless communication and
switch-port buffer credits

More detailed information about FICON channel operation can be found in

“FICON channel operation and performance” on page 205.

3.3.5 Buffer-to-buffer credit

To prevent an FC port from transferring more frames than the receiving FC port
can handle, both ports of the FC link must request each other’s buffer credit
quantity. This request is performed during the initial initialization of the link. Each
time a frame is transferred from a port onto the link, that port will reduce (by 1) its
current buffer credit value to the other port. When the port at the other end of the
link receives the frame and moves it out of its buffer, it responds with an R_RDY
response (ready response). When the ready response is received by the port that
sent the frames, that port will then increment its current buffer credit by 1.The
R_RDY signalling is shown in Figure 31.

CCW and Data Frame FICON CUs

Pipelining Switching FICON Frames
zSeries Server A CU-A
A
Frame Multiplexing Fibre A
Channel FICON Frames
zSeries FICON FICON FICON Switch
I/O request B
Frame Frame Frame B B
(SSCH-ORB) CU-B
A C B

FICON FICON Frames

C
Fibre Channel C
C
D D D
zSeries - CCWs FICON Frames (Full Duplex) D FICON Frames CU-C
SB-2 - IUs Buffer Credits D
FC-2 - Frames Frames R_RDY D

Open exchange,
Buffer Credits CU-D
IU transfers and
R_RDY Frames Buffer Buffer
IU multiplexing Credits Credits
R_RDY R_RDY
FC Link flow control

FC Frame FC Frame
SB-2 IU multiplexing SB-2 IU multiplexing
multiplexing multiplexing
IU pacing (set CRR) for channel CMR response to CRR
to CU/Device flow control SB-2 channe-to-CU/Device end-to-end flow control

Figure 31. Fibre Channel buffer credits

40 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Chapter 4. Processor support
This chapter describes the support of the FICON channel in FICON native (FC)
mode by the zSeries 900 and 9672 G5/G6 processors. It also provides
information about the ESCON and FICON channel connectivity support and how
they compare.

4.1 zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 processor FICON native support

Figure 32 summarizes some of the key features of the zSeries and S/390
processor support.

FICON native (FC) mode

FICON
CU
100 MB/s
Full Duplex Link
up to 10 Km maximum
..
(20 Km with RPQ) Fibre
.
FICON Channel FICON
Switch CU
FICON
...
FICON
CU

Figure 32. zSeries and S/390 processors with FICON native (FC) mode channels

The FICON channel can be installed in the zSeries 900 and the 9672 G5/G6
processors, and can be connected to a FICON-capable control unit either
point-to-point, or switched point-to-point through a Fibre Channel switch.
• Up to 24 FICON channels can be installed in a 9672 G5 processor.
• Up to 36 FICON channels can be installed in the 9672 G6 processor.
• Up to 96 FICON channels can be installed in the zSeries 900.
• The link bandwidth of the FICON link is 100 MBps, whereas the link bandwidth
of the ESCON link is 20 MBps.

There are two FICON channel fiber optic subassemblies (FOSA) supported on
the zSeries and two on the 9672 G5/G6 processors: a long wave laser version
and a short wave laser version.
• zSeries 900 - FICON channel long wave laser, FC 2315 (two ports per
adapter)
• zSeries 900 - FICON channel short wave laser, FC 2318 (two ports per
adapter)
• 9672 G5/G6 - FICON channel long wave laser, FC 2314 (one port per adapter)

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 41

 • 9672 G5/G6 - FICON channel short wave laser, FC 2316 (one port per
adapter)

The preferred fiber cabling for a long wavelength laser FICON channel is 9
micron single-mode fiber. While 62.5 micron multimode or 50.0 micron multimode
fiber cable may be used for a long wavelength laser FICON channel, the use of
these multimode cables requires the use of mode conditioner patch (MCP)
cables, one at each end of the fiber link, or between optical ports in the link. Use
of the single-mode to multimode MCP cables reduces the supported optical
distance.

The short wavelength laser FICON channel supports the use of both 62.5 micron
and 50.0 micron multimode fiber channels.

Chapter 12, “FICON - Fibre Channel cabling” on page 153 discusses the fiber
cabling requirements in detail.

4.1.1 ESCON and FICON channel connectivity support

This section compares the channel connectivity support between ESCON and
FICON.

ESCON and FICON channel equivalence support, as described below, is

illustrated in Figure 33 on page 43 for the 9672 G5 processor, Figure 34 on
page 44 for the 9672 G6 processor, and Figure 35 on page 44 for the zSeries 900
processor.

Equivalent channel support

A 9672 G5 processor can support up to 256 ESCON channels, or up to 168
ESCON channels and up to 24 FICON channels. A 9672 G6 processor can
support up to 256 ESCON channels, or up to 120 ESCON channels and up to 36
FICON channels. The zSeries 900 processor can support up to 256 ESCON
channels, or up to160 ESCON channels and up to 96 FICON channels.

ESCON channels do not support concurrent I/O connections, but a FICON

channel in FICON native (FC) mode supports multiple concurrent I/O connections
to FICON control units.

The number of concurrent I/O operation connections on a FICON channel in

FICON native (FC) mode for a specific S/390 or zSeries customer environment
depends on the following:
• Processor model
• FICON topology, including the FICON Director
• Configuration definition
• Performance of the control unit

Whereas the FICON Bridge (FCV) mode channel provided eight concurrent I/O
operation connections (compared to one for an ESCON channel), the FICON
channel in FICON native (FC) mode can provide up to 16 or more concurrent I/O
operation connections by exploiting the FICON channel’s Information Unit (IU)
operation multiplexing and FC frame multiplexing capability. However, the
capability for concurrent I/O operation connectivity should not be confused with
bandwidth capacity. The FICON channel bandwidth utilization depends entirely

42 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

on the number and type of connected control units. The total available bandwidth
on all installed FICON channels is also a function of the capacity of the channel
subsystem.

On a 9672 G5 or G6 processor, a channel-constrained customer is one that has

60 or more of the 64 I/O slots on the 9672 G5/G6 full. The CHPID numbering cost
to the channel-constrained customer of one FICON channel on a 9672 G5/G6 is
four ESCON channel CHPID numbers since one I/O slot (that could support four
ESCON channels) must be vacated for one FICON channel. In this case, the
benefits to the customer of installing FICON channels will be related more to the
additional connectivity, distance and addressability than to the increase in
bandwidth. However, on the zSeries processor, where one FICON channel may
only need to replace one ESCON channel (use the CHPID number that may have
been assigned to the ESCON channel if there are no other CHPID numbers
available), the benefits to the customer of installing FICON include increased
distance and connectivity, increased addressability, and greater bandwidth.

To show the connectivity advantage of a FICON native channel compared to an

ESCON channel, eight concurrent I/O operation connections on a FICON channel
are assumed in the following examples.

A 9672 G5 processor with the maximum of 24 FICON channels operating in

native (FC) mode can support 192 concurrent I/O operation connections in total
on the 24 FICON channels. A 9672 G6 processor with the maximum of 36 FICON
channels operating in native (FC) mode can support 288 concurrent I/O operation
connections in total on the 36 FICON channels. A zSeries processor with the
maximum of 96 FICON channels operating in FICON native (FC) mode can
support 768 concurrent I/O operation connections on the 96 FICON channels.

9672 G5 equivalent channel support

The 9672 G5 processor can have the equivalent S/390 concurrent I/O
connectivity of 360 ESCON channels, with 168 ESCON channels and 24 FICON
channels installed, as illustrated in Figure 33.

E SC O N o nly E S C O N and F IC O N (F C )

S/390 9672 G 5 Processor S/390 G 5 Processor

1 - 24 FIC O N
2 56 ES C O N 1 68 or 25 2 19 2+ ES C O N
c ha nn els E SC O N ch an ne ls co nn ec tiv ity
eq uiv ale nc e

256 ESC O N channels U p to 360 ESC O N channels

connectivity equivalence
assum ing 8 concurrent I/O
connections per FIC O N channel

Figure 33. 9672 G5 ESCON and FICON combined channel connectivity equivalence

Chapter 4. Processor support 43

 9672 G6 equivalent channel support
The 9672 G6 processor can have the equivalent S/390 concurrent I/O
connectivity of 408 ESCON channels, with 120 ESCON channels and 36 FICON
channels installed, as illustrated in Figure 34.

ESCON only ESCON and FICON (FC)

S/390 9672 G6 Processor S/390 G 6 Processor

1 - 24 or 36 FICON
192+ or 288+
256 ESCON 120 or 168 or 252 ESCON
channels ESCON channels connectivity
equivalence

256 ESCON channels Up to 408 ESCON channels

connectivity equivalence
assuming 8 concurrent I/O
per FICON channel

Figure 34. 9672 G6 ESCON and FICON combined channel connectivity equivalence

zSeries 900 equivalent channel support

The zSeries 900 processor can have the equivalent S/390 concurrent I/O
connectivity of 928 ESCON channels, with 160 ESCON channels and 96 FICON
channels installed; see Figure 35.

ESCON only ESCON and FICON native (FC)

zSeries 900 Processor zSeries 900 processor

1 - 96 FICON
160 768+ ESCON
256 ESCON
ESCON channels connectivity
channels
equivalence

928 ESCON channels

256 ESCON channels
connectivity equivalence
assuming 8 concurrent I/O
per FICON channel

Figure 35. zSeries ESCON and FICON combined channel connectivity equivalence

44 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Channel device addressing support
An ESCON channel operating in CNC mode supports 1024 device addresses.
This support is increased to 16K devices (16384) for a FICON native (FC)
channel.

Distance support
The maximum unrepeated fiber connectivity distance for an ESCON CNC LED
channel link using 62.5 micron multimode fiber is 3 km (or 2 km for 50 micron
fiber). These same distances apply for ESCON Director to control unit links for
ESCON Director LED ports.

The FICON LW (long wavelength) feature supports a maximum unrepeated

distance of up to 10 km (20 km via RPQ) for 9 micron single-mode fiber and
accommodates the use of 50- or 62.5 micron multimode fiber up to a distance of
550 m using Mode Conditioning Patch (MCP) cables. The same distances apply
to the links from the FICON Director to FICON control units.

The FICON SW (short wavelength) feature supports a maximum unrepeated

distance of 500 m using 50 micron multimode fibers or 250 m using 62.5 micron
multimode fibers. Compare this with a maximum unrepeated distance between
the FICON Director port and control unit port of 500 m using 50 micron multimode
fibers or 300 m using 62.5 micron multimode fibers.

For either the FICON LW or SW feature using repeaters, the end-to-end distance
between the FICON channel and the FICON Director port can be up to 100 km.
The same end-to-end distance is also available between the FICON Director port
and the FICON control unit port. However, the overall end-to-end distance
between the FICON channel and FICON control unit should not exceed 100 km.
The extended distance requires that each fiber channel port (F_Port and N_Port)
support 60 buffer credits to avoid a data droop problem.

Data rate performance droop

Data rate performance droop occurs at extended distances (over 9 km) for
ESCON links. For FICON channels in FICON native (FC) mode, the
channel-to-control unit end-to-end distance can be increased to 100 km before
data rate performance droop starts to occur. Other factors (for example, frame
multiplexing) may sometimes affect the data rate performance; these are covered
in Chapter 15, “FICON channel operation and performance” on page 205.

4.1.2 FICON channel support for zSeries processors

The zSeries processor has a new style I/O cage (IBM feature code 2023)
installed that supports the new FICON channel adapter cards (two FICON
channel ports per adapter card).

Up to 48 FICON channel adapter cards can be installed in the zSeries processors

(48 FICON adapter cards provides 96 FICON channels), using the new style I/O
cages. The zSeries processors may also have 9672 G5/G6-like older style I/O
cages (IBM I/O cage feature code 2022) installed. The zSeries allows a mixed
installation of the zSeries new style I/O cages and the 9672 G5/G6-like older
style I/O cages in the same processor complex (the actual 9672 G5/G6 I/O cage
and the zSeries (G5/G6-like) older style I/O cages are not the same).

Certain 9672 G5/G6 channel cards in the 9672 G5/G6 I/O cage can be moved
from an existing 9672 G5/G6 to a zSeries when upgrading the 9672 G5/G6 to a

Chapter 4. Processor support 45

 zSeries processor. This would require that a zSeries 900 feature code 2022 I/O
cage be installed in the zSeries processor. A zSeries feature code 2022 I/O cage
is always required for parallel channel cards and OSA-2 cards (TR/EN and
FDDI).

Table 2 shows the maximum installable FICON channels in relation to the number
of installed zSeries new style I/O cages and G5/G6-like old stye I/O cages. In a
zSeries processor FICON channel adapter cards are installed in the new style I/O
cages only.
Table 2. FICON channels installable in the zSeries processor I/O cages

Number of zSeries new Number zSeries old style Maximum number of

style I/O cages installed I/O cages installed FICON channels that can
Feature code 2023 Feature code 2022 be supported

1 0 32

1 1 32

1 2 32

2 0 64

2 1 64

3 0 96

Each zSeries new style I/O cage supports up to 16 FICON channel adapter
cards. Each FICON channel card has two ports (two channels), so a maximum of
32 FICON channels can be installed in each zSeries new style I/O cage.

Any CHPID number can be assigned to any channel for any channel type card in
any I/O slot in either of the two zSeries processor I/O cage styles. FICON
channels are installed in the zSeries processor without the loss of CHPID
numbers (CHPID numbers may be lost when FICON channels are installed in the
9672 G5/G6 processors), which allows the zSeries processor to have a larger
number of ESCON and FICON channel cards installed. Therefore, a larger
number of concurrent I/O connections can be maintained when FICON channels
are installed, as compared to when FICON channels were installed on the 9672
G5/G6 processors.

Figure 36 on page 47 shows the increased numbers of concurrent I/O

connections, comparing the S/390 9672 G5, G6 and zSeries processors,
assuming eight concurrent I/O operations can be maintained per FICON channel.

46 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Maximum Maximum Maximum Total I/O
ESCON FICON FICON Concurrency
Channels Channels remainder (FICON x8)
(No FICON) ESCON (ESCON x1)
9672 G5
1 I/O (O) cage 84 6 6 + 60 108
2 I/O (O) cages 172 12 12 + 124 220
3 I/O (O) cages 256 24 24 + 168 360
9672 G6
1 I/O (O) cage 84 6 6 + 60 108
2 I/O (O) cages 172 12 12 + 124 220
3 I/O (O) cages 256 36 36 + 120 408
2064
1 I/O (N) cage 256 32 32 + 180 436
2 I/O (N) cages 222 64 64 + 192 704
3 I/O (N) cages 190 96 96 + 160 928
1 (N) + 1 (O) 256 32 32 + 224 256 + 224
1 (N) + 2 (O) 256 32 32 + 224 256 + 224
2 (N) + 1 (O) 222 64 64 + 192 512 + 192

O = G5/G5 style I/O cage - feature code 2022 in the zSeries processor
N = zSeries new style I/O cage - feature code 2023 in the zSeries processor

Figure 36. Comparison of ESCON and FICON concurrent I/O - G5/G6 and 2064

4.1.3 zSeries supported I/O types

The FICON (2-port), ESCON (15/16 port), ISC-3 (1/2/3/4 port), OSA-Express
(2-port) and PCICC (2-port) channel cards are always installed in the zSeries new
I/O cage, FC 2023. There is always one FC 2023 I/O cage and there can be up to
two more FC 2023 I/O cages depending on the total channel requirements
(FICON, ESCON (15/16 port), ISC-3 and OSA-Express) and the intermix of other
channel types (Parallel, 4-port ESCON, and OSA-2). The first FC 2023 I/O cage
is installed in the zSeries A frame and additional I/O cages would be installed in
the optional zSeries second I/O frame, the Z frame.

Parallel channels are only supported in the zSeries old style I/O cages in the
zSeries processor. Both the three-port (MES upgrade only) and four-port Parallel
channel cards are supported. Those customers who already have Parallel
channels installed in a S/390 9672 G5/G6 Server can keep up to 88 Parallel
channels (requiring one I/O cage FC 2022), or with an RPQ they can keep up to
96 Parallel channels (requiring two I/O cages, FC 2022) when MES upgrading the
9672 G5/G6 to a zSeries 900. In addition to Parallel channels being installed in
the zSeries old style I/O cage (FC 2022), 4-port ESCON channels, and OSA-2
(EN/TR and FDDI) can also be installed in the zSeries I/O cage FC 2022). The
zSeries 900 I/O cage FC 2022 (one or two) is installed in the second zSeries

Chapter 4. Processor support 47

 processor complex frame, the Z frame. The first zSeries frame is the A frame and
it only supports the new I/O cage FC 2023.
Table 3. zSeries supported I/O channel types

I/O type New style I/O cage Old style I/O cage
FC 2023 FC 2022

ESCON Yes Yes (upgrade MES)

Parallel channel No Yes

ISC-3 (1 & 2 gigabit) Yes No

High-Bandwidth channel Yes No

- FICON Yes No

- Ethernet (Fast, gigabit) Yes No

- ATM Yes No

OSA-2 No -

- FDDI - Yes

- Ethernet/Token Ring - Yes

48 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Chapter 5. z/OS and OS/390 software support
This chapter describes the software support available on the z/OS and OS/390
platforms for FICON native (FC) channels and control units and devices that
attach to FC channels. Only minor software changes are required in order to
exploit the full functionality of FICON.

FICON channels provide enhanced performance for the execution of channel

programs that allow the use of CCW and data prefetching and pipelining. The
new FICON channel protocols are fully compatible with existing channel
programs and Access Methods. IBM software has been changed to exploit this
function but an installation should review the readiness of its non-IBM software.
Refer to 14.2.1, “Channel programming considerations” on page 190 for further
software considerations in a FICON native (FC) environment.

Also be aware that vendor-written UIMs may need to be upgraded for FICON
support. Refer to “Vendor UIMs” on page 191 for more information.

5.1 z/OS and OS/390 FICON APARs

FICON native (FC) channels are supported by z/OS R1 with APAR OW47844 and
OS/390 V2.6 and later releases. Note that FICON Bridge (FCV) support has been
available since OS/390 V1.3 and later releases.

There is no unique PSP bucket for FICON. For both z/OS and OS/390, the
FICON support information is contained in the PSP buckets for the processor and
control units, listed in Table 4.
Table 4. Processor/CU PSP buckets for z/OS and OS/390 FICON support

Processor/CU Upgrade Subset

zSeries 900 2064device 2064/OS390

9672 G5/G6 9672device 9672OS390G5+

McDATA ED-5000 2032devicea 2032/OS390

Inrange FC/9000 2042devicea 2042/OS390

ESS 2105device

3590 3590device
a. Although the PSP upgrade name for the Inrange FI-
CON Director is 2042device, this device and the McDA-
TA FICON Director are both defined as device type 2032
in HCD and IOCP. Refer to “FICON Director (2032)” on
page 180 for definition information.

Table 5 on page 50 contains a list of APARs required by different z/OS and

OS/390 components and products for FICON support or exploitation. Some of the
APARs listed have been available for some time since they provide exploitation of

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 49

 CCW pipelining and other features that were introduced for the initial FICON
implementation, FICON Bridge (FCV).
Table 5. APARs for support of FICON, including FICON native (FC)

Component APAR

HCD OW43131 (for zSeries 900),

OW43132 (for 9672 G5/G6)

IOCP OW46633 (for zSeries 900),

OW45473 (for 9672 G5/G6)

IOS, EXCP OW38541, OW41432, OW47844

OW44429, OW47519 (FICON Management
Server Feature)

IPL/NIP OW38549

DFSMS FICON ESS Device Support Code OW47935, OW47937

SA OS/390 OW40040 (for V1.3)

OW47972 (for V2.1)

ESCON Director Device Support Code OW38551, OW44017,OW48996

OW44428 (FICON Management Server
Feature)

JES2 OW34568

OEM RDS Channel Extender II12081

Standalone Dump OW38669

ICKDSF PQ20391

ASM OW38547

JES3 OW31828

DFSMS (XRC) OW35687

DFSMS OW37135, OW34237, OW34073,

OW34071, OW34231, OW40237

IEBCOPY OW34232, OW39328

IEWFETCH OW34234

DSS OW34111

PSF 3.2 for OS/390 OW44362

OAM OW34112

RMF OW35586
OW46170, OW46825 (FICON Management
Server Feature)

SRM OW38548

GTF OW37986

HCM IR39712 (FCV only), IR42956(FCS)

RACF OW34103

IMS PQ26718

50 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 This list of APARs may be incomplete. The latest copy of the Preventive Service
Planning (PSP) bucket for the processor or control unit should always be
reviewed prior to installation.

5.2 HCD
HCD support for the zSeries 900 processor, including FICON native (FC)
channels, is provided with APAR OW43131. The PTFs that implement APAR
OW43131 for the different releases of HCD are listed in Table 6.
Table 6. HCD support for FICON native (FC) channels on zSeries processors

HCD release PTF for OW43131

R051 UW99341

R053 UW99342

R054 UW99343

R091 UW99344

R094 UW99345

APAR OW43132 provides HCD support for FICON native (FC) channel paths
starting with OS/390 R5 HCD on 9672 G5 and G6 machines. The PTFs that
implement APAR OW43132 for the different releases of HCD are listed in Table 7.
Table 7. HCD support for FICON native (FC) channels on 9672 G5/G6 processors

HCD release PTF for OW43132

R501 UW99287

R521 UW99288

R031 UW99289

R051 UW99290

R053 UW99291

R054 UW99292

R091 UW99293

R094 UW99294

5.2.1 HCM
No specific maintenance is required for FICON native (FC) support in HCM. From
HCM’s perspective, a FICON native (FC) channel is just like any other channel.
HCM uses HCD as a server on the host side, and any change in HCM that
concerns the logic, or structure of the configuration, such as creating, deleting, or
changing an object, is validated by HCD. Also, the configuration diagram support
does not need to be changed as connections between FC channels look exactly
the same as ESCON channel connections. To summarize, HCM supports FICON
native (FC) channels but does not require additional maintenance for FC support;
the support for FC channels is provided through HCD.

Two HCM APARs in the FICON area should be discussed in order to avoid
confusion. They are APARs IR39712 and IR42956.

Chapter 5. z/OS and OS/390 software support 51

 APAR IR39712 introduced the conversion utilities to ease the customer migration
to a FICON Bridge (FCV) environment. The “Convert ESCON Port to FC” utility
enabled customers to easily adapt their configuration when a FICON Bridge
(FCV) card is added in the 9032-5 ESCON Director. This utility does not work for
FICON native (FC) channels, because an ESCON (CNC) channel can explicitly
be converted to an FCV channel but never to an FC channel, for example.

APAR IR42956 introduces HCM support for the generic Open Fibre Switch (FCS),
with the following characteristics:
• FCS switches do not support switch control units and devices, and port FE is
not an internal port for FCS.
• No minimal port range needs to be installed.
• Control units and channel paths can be connected to all ports.
• Ports 00-FF are supported.

Neither the Inrange nor the McDATA switches are FCS switches; they are defined
as 2032 FICON Directors, which includes support for a control unit port (CUP).

5.3 IOCP
This section describes the IOCP software requirements for the zSeries 900
processor and the 9672 G5/G6 processors.

5.3.1 zSeries 900 processor

IOCP support for the zSeries 900 processor, including FICON native channels, is
provided in a new IOCP program, IYPIOCP 1.1.0, which is shipped in PTF
UW90695 for APAR OW46633. In preparation for upgrading to a zSeries
processor model, IOCP can write a zSeries processor IOCDS to a 9672 G5/G6
processor provided it has EC F99939 (driver 26) installed. The IOCP execution
parameter CHECKCPC should be used. The IOCDS will not be usable until the
processor is upgraded to a zSeries.

There is a new publication, zSeries 900 Input/Output Configuration Program

User's Guide for IYP IOCP, SB10-7029-00. It is available at:
http://www.ibm.com/servers/resourcelink by selecting section: Library >
zSeries 900 > Hardware

Equivalent standalone IOCP for IYPIOCP version 1.1.0 is shipped in EC H25117

(DR36J/Version 1.7.0, driver 36) for the zSeries 900 processor. The standalone
IOCP version and release can be determined by looking at the header lines of the
IOCP reports produced by standalone IOCP. The standalone IOCP version and
release can also be determined from the Hardware Management Console or
Support Element by following the procedure described in Appendix B,
“Determining the stand-alone IOCP release” on page 257.

FICON native (FC) channel support on the zSeries 900 processor is provided in
an MCL for driver 38. The EC level of the CPC can be determined from the
Hardware Management Console or Support Element by following the procedure
described in Appendix A, “Determining the EC level of the CPC” on page 255.

52 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

5.3.2 9672 G5/G6 processor
IOCP support for FICON native channels on the 9672 G5 and G6 models is
provided by PTF UW72160 for APAR OW45473, which introduces IZPIOCP
1.8.2. There is a new release of the publication Input/Output Configuration
Program User's Guide and ESCON Channel-to-Channel Reference for the 9672
G5 and G6 processors, which has order number GC38-0401-12.

Equivalent standalone IOCP for IZPIOCP version 1.8.2 is shipped in EC F99918

(driver 26) for 9672 G5 and G6 models. The standalone IOCP version and
release can be determined by looking at the header lines of the IOCP reports
produced by standalone IOCP. The standalone IOCP version and release can
also be determined from the Hardware Management Console or Support Element
by following the procedure described in Appendix B, “Determining the
stand-alone IOCP release” on page 257.

FICON native (FC) channel support on the 9672 G5/G6 processors is provided in
an MCL for driver 26. The EC level of the CPC can be determined from the
Hardware Management Console or Support Element by following the procedure
described in Appendix A, “Determining the EC level of the CPC” on page 255.

5.4 System Automation I/O-Ops

System Automation for OS/390 (S/A) I/O-Ops is an important tool in an
environment that includes ESCON and FICON channels. It enables the operator
to manage an I/O configuration that includes ESCON and FICON Directors, and
provides for faster and more focused problem determination in this environment.

SA I/O-Ops V2.1 includes support for FICON Native (FC) channels and FICON
Directors. An additional APAR, OW47972, is required to correct problems with the
FICON Director support.

SA I/O-Ops V1.3 adds support for FICON Native (FC) channels and FICON
Directors with APAR OW40040 (PTFs UW69057 for RA30 and UW69058 for
RA3U). APAR OW48434 is also recommended.

APAR OW49278 describes a problem with the I/O-Ops interface to the McDATA
ED-5000 FICON Director. Before using I/O-Ops with a FICON configuration,
check the latest maintenance recommendations in the product’s PSP buckets:
Table 8. SA OS/390 I/O-Ops PSP buckets

Upgrade Subset

HKYS100 HKYS100

JKYS103 JKYS103

Note that there are few changes to I/O-Ops for FICON Native (FC) support. There
are no new commands, and the existing commands CONNECT/DISCONNECT and
CHAIN/UNCHAIN are not allowed with FICON Directors because they do not support
dedicated connections.

Chapter 5. z/OS and OS/390 software support 53

5.4.1 FICON Director management software
Both Inrange and McDATA provide workstation software to manage the FICON
Directors. These programs are discussed in “Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON
Director” on page 91 and “McDATA FICON Directors” on page 57, respectively.

5.5 RMF
RMF has been changed to support FICON channels. With APAR OW35586, RMF
extended the information in the Channel Path Activity reports of all monitors by
reporting about data transfer rates and bus utilization values for FICON Bridge
(FCV) and FICON native (FC) channels. RMF reports five new measurements in
a FICON channel environment:
• Bus utilization
• Read bandwidth for a partition in MB/sec
• Read bandwidth total (all logical partitions on the processor) in MB/sec
• Write bandwidth for a partition in MB/sec
• Write bandwidth total in MB/sec

More information about the new fields reported by RMF for FICON channels can
be found in “FICON performance considerations” on page 222. Details of the
changes to SMF records are listed in “SMF record changes for FICON” on
page 259.

RMF also provides the FICON Director Activity report when the APARs in support
of ESCON Director Device support APAR OW44428 are applied, and the FICON
Directors provide measurements. Note that this function is not available if the
FICON Director is not defined as a device in HCD and IOCP.

5.6 DFSMS
FICON device support for the ESS 2105 is provided with DFSMS APARs
OW47935 and OW47937.

The changes to DFSMS components, including IEBCOPY, IEWFETCH, ICKDSF,

and so on, in support of FICON are to take advantage of the performance
enhancements inherent in the operation of the FICON channel, including both
FICON Bridge (FCV) and FICON native (FC). The operation of the FICON
channel during the execution of a specific channel program is controlled by the
setting of bits in the Operations Request Block (ORB) which is built by the I/O
Supervisor for each SSCH instruction. The bits include the ORBP (allowing CCW
and data pipelining), ORBY (controlling synchronization on read-write transition
in the channel program) and ORBM (PCI synchronization). The changes are
transparent to users of DFSMS components and IBM utilities. More information
can be found in “Fibre Channel FICON operation” on page 205.

5.7 z/VM and VM/ESA

z/VM and VM/ESA 2.4.0 contain support for FICON. VM/ESA 2.2.0 for guest
operating systems require APAR VM62090 for FICON support. VM/ESA 2.3.0 for

54 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 native VM requires APAR VM62710 for FICON support. In addition, the APARs
listed in Table 9 are recommended.
Table 9. z/VM and VM/ESA APARs for FICON support

APAR Description

VM62643 McDATA and Inrange FICON Director

support

VM62710 Second CCW support - tape error recovery

VM62665 IYPIOCP 1.1.0 for zSeries 900

VM62539 IZPIOCP 1.8.2 for 9672 G5/G6

This list of APARs may be incomplete. The latest copy of the PSP bucket for the
processor or control unit should always be reviewed prior to installation. Table 10
shows the PSP buckets.
Table 10. Processor PSP buckets for z/VM and VM/ESA FICON support

Processor PSP upgrade PSP subset

zSeries 900 2064device 2064z/vm

2064vm/esa

9672 G5/G6 9672device 9672vm/esa

5.8 VSE/ESA
VSE/ESA 2.3 contains support for FICON. Table 11 lists the recommended
APARs.
Table 11. z/VM and VM/ESA APARs for FICON support

APAR Description

DY45543 IYPIOCP 1.1.0 for zSeries 900

DY45407 IZPIOCP 1.8.2 for 9672 G5/G6

This list of APARs may be incomplete. The latest copy of the PSP bucket for the
processor or control unit should always be reviewed prior to installation. Table 12
shows the PSP buckets.
Table 12. Processor PSP buckets for z/VM and VM/ESA FICON support

Processor PSP upgrade PSP subset

zSeries 900 2064device 2064vse/esa

9672 G5/G6 9672device 9672vse/esa

5.9 TPF
TPF Version 4 Release 1 and subsequent releases contain support for FICON.

Chapter 5. z/OS and OS/390 software support 55

56 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors
This chapter discusses the FICON Directors. It includes the following information:
• McDATA ED-5000 FICON Director hardware description
• McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director hardware description
• McDATA Enterprise Fabric Connectivity Manager used to control, monitor and
maintain FICON Directors

For information on how to define the McDATA FICON Director, refer to 13.5,
“FICON Director (2032)” on page 180.

6.1 McDATA ED-5000 FICON Director overview

This FICON Director is based on the McDATA Enterprise Fibre Channel Switch
ED-5000 (see Figure 37). It provides up to 32 FICON ports (F_ports). Any port
can effectively communicate with any other port using Fibre Channel Class 2 and
Class 3 transmission service.

ED-5000 can be standalone or one or two Directors may be mounted in a single

McDATA FC-512 cabinet (7 sq. ft. footprint Fabricenter Cabinet) as shown in
Figure 37.

IBM 2032 model 001 and IBM 2032 model C36 are the device types and models
used, respectively, under the reseller agreement for the McDATA ED-5000 and
McDATA FC-512 cabinet.

Figure 37. McDATA ED-5000 FICON Director

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 57

6.2 McDATA ED-5000 hardware components
The major hardware components of the ED-5000 FICON Director are:
• Message Path Controller (MPC)
• Central Memory Module (CMM)
• Control Processor (CTP)
• Port cards (GSM, GLS, GXX)
• Cooling fan module
• Power supplies
• Operator panel (PC)

See Figure 38 for the physical location of these components.

Front view Rear view

Figure 38. McDATA ED-5000 hardware components physical locations

6.2.1 MPC card

The message path controller (MPC) card provides communication between ports,
a system clock source, and central control and distribution of clocks for MPC,
CMM, and port cards. The card also provides the embedded Fibre Channel port.
When connection requests are made, the MPC first transmits status messages
from the receiving port to the transmitting port. Each message contains the
central CMM address where frame data is stored. The MPC then reports back to
the receiving port that the message was received by the transmitting port.

A backup MPC card can be installed as part of a high-availability feature set to

take over operation if the active card fails. The backup MPC card allows port
communication with minimal interruption if the active MPC card fails. When an
MPC card in a redundant configuration fails, the backup card takes over
operation of MPC functions automatically. Because the MPC card generates
master clock signals for the entire ED-5000, the failover causes a link reset on all
active links, and a fabric logout and login for all attached devices. With a backup
MPC card, the failed MPC card can be replaced while the ED-5000 is powered on
and operating. A backup MPC card can be added while the ED-5000 is powered
on and operating.

58 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

6.2.2 CMM card
The central memory module (CMM) card provides the storage area for Fibre
Channel ports to store and retrieve frames. Each port is allocated a portion of this
memory divided into a fixed number of frame buffers. Each port is responsible for
buffer management.

A backup CMM card can be installed as part of a high-availability feature set to

take over operation if the active card fails. A backup CMM card provides the
ability to store and retrieve Fibre Channel frames without interruption if the active
CMM card fails. Failover to the backup card is transparent to attached devices.

6.2.3 CTP card

The control processor (CTP) card contains the microprocessor and associated
logic that provides overall coordination for the ED-5000 FICON Director. The CTP
card also initializes hardware components of the system after power-on. A 10
megabit per second (Mbps) RJ-45 twisted pair connector on the CTP card
faceplate connects to an Ethernet LAN to communicate with Enterprise Fabric
Connectivity (EFC) Server or an SNMP management station. See 6.5, “McDATA
FICON Director EFC Manager” on page 73 for more details.

A backup CTP card can be installed as part of a high-availability feature set to

take over operation if the active card fails. With two CTP cards, firmware can be
upgraded or a CTP card replaced without disrupting operation. Failover from a
faulty card to the backup card is transparent to attached devices. A backup CTP
card can be added while the ED-5000 is powered and operating.

If a backup CTP card is installed, each card must have a separate Ethernet
connection to the EFC Server.

6.2.4 Port cards

Each port card provides four full-duplex gigabit (1.0625 Gbps) F_Ports. They
support transmission of Fibre Channel Class 2 and Class 3 transmission service.

Each port card provides four SC Duplex receptacles for attaching fiber optic
jumper cables. Ports use short wave laser transceivers for transmitting data
through multimode cables, or long wave transceivers for transmitting data
through single-mode cables. Port cards use non-OFC Class 1 lasers.

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 59

 Figure 39. ED-5000 FICON Director port card

Port cards are labeled GLS, GSM, or GXX. See Table 13 for details.
Table 13. ED-5000 port card specifications

Card Port and Cabling and Transmission

Label Transceivers Connectors Distance

GSM Four short wave laser ports (850 50/125 micron multimode fiber 2 to 500 m
nm), non-open fiber control (OFC) with SC duplex connectors.

62.5/125 micron multimode fiber 2 to 300 m

with SC duplex connectors

GLS Four long wave laser ports (1310 9/125 micron single mode fiber 2 m to
nm), non OFC with SC duplex connectors 20 km

GXX Three short wave laser ports (850 50/125 micron multimode fiber 2 to 500 m
nm), non-OFC with SC duplex connectors

62.5/125 micron multimode fiber 2 to 300 m

with SC duplex connectors

One long wave laser port (1310 9/125 micron single mode fiber 2 m to
nm), non-OFC with SC duplex connectors 20 km

Refer to McDATA ED-5000 Director Release 3.0 Planning Guide -

620-005000-200 for more details.

The ED-5000 FICON Director provides chassis slots for up to eight port cards (32
ports total). A port card is a concurrent FRU and can be added or replaced while
the ED-5000 is powered on and operating.

FICON Director (ED-5000) port address mapping

On the McDATA ED-5000 FICON Director, physical port numbers do not match
port addresses. Hardware Configuration Definition (HCD) and Input Output

60 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Configuration Program (IOCP) uses port address information to define control
unit link addresses. See Figure 40 for physical port number-to-port address
mapping information.

The port address information shown in Figure 40 is the value that must be
defined as CU link addresses using HCD or IOCP if the attached N_Port is a
control unit. For example, port number 19 is port address 17 for HCD and IOCP
definitions. Refer to 13.2, “FICON control unit” on page 176 for FICON HCD/IOCP
definition information.

Appendix D, “FICON Director port configuration worksheet” on page 263 can be

used for planning and installation purposes.

A port number may have a different port address assigned if a port swap has
been performed.

P7 P6 P5 P4
23 31 1F 27 1B 23 17 19
22 30 1E 26 1A 22 16 18
Port Number
21 29 1D 25 19 21 15 17
MPC-0
MPC-1

20 28 1C 24 18 20

CMM-1
14 16
CTP-1

CMM-0
CTP-0

13 15 0F 11 0B07 07 03
12 14 0E 10 0A06 06 02 Port Address
11 13 0D 09 09 05 05 01
10 12 0C 08 08 04 04 00 Card Slot
P3 P2 P1 P0
Number
Figure 40. ED-5000 FICON Director port number-to-port address mapping

6.2.5 Fan module

A fan module with two fans provides cooling for the ED-5000 FICON Director
FRUs, as well as redundancy for continued operation if a fan fails. If both fans
fail, a controlled shutdown of the ED-5000 occurs after 30 minutes. The fan
module can be replaced while the ED-5000 is powered on and operating,
provided the module is replaced within 30 minutes.

6.2.6 Power supplies

A universal power supply steps down and rectifies facility input power to provide
direct current (DC) power to the ED-5000 FICON Director. A backup power
supply is optional. If two power supplies are installed, either power supply can be
replaced while the ED-5000 is powered on and operational. Each power supply
has a separate power cord to allow connection to different ac power sources.

Facility AC power is supplied to the ED-5000 through the two power connectors
at the rear of the unit. The single-phase connections are input rated at 90 to 264
volts alternating current (VAC).

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 61

6.2.7 Operator panel
The operator panel includes an alphanumeric liquid-crystal display (LCD), four
buttons (Advance, Entry, Detail, and Clear) to navigate through information on the
display, the System Error LED, the Power LED, an initial machine load (IML)
button, and a maintenance port. Figure 41 illustrates the operator panel.

Figure 41. Operator panel

6.2.8 FICON Director CUP support

Control unit port (CUP) support is included in the ED-5000 Director. This is similar
to the CUP function on the ESCON Director. The CUP function allows OS/390 to
manage the Director with the same level of control and security as OS/390 has
today on an ESCON Director. Host communication includes control functions like
blocking and unblocking ports as well as monitoring and error reporting functions.
The software package that supports these I/O operation functions is the FICON
Manager, which is part of System Automation for OS/390.

To support all of these functions the FICON Director must be defined as a control
unit in the IOCP with a CUP port address of FE, the same as the ESCON
Director. See 13.5, “FICON Director (2032)” on page 180 for HCD/IOCP definition
information.

6.2.9 McDATA ED-5000 FICON Director configurations

The McDATA ED-5000 (2032-001) is ordered using e.config selecting Storage
and Storage Area Network. The ED-5000 FICON Director supports a minimum of
4 ports (one port card) and a maximum of 32 ports (8 port cards) in 4-port
increments. It offers multiple configuration options for FICON connectivity. The
port cards are ordered selecting the following configuration Feature Codes (F/C):
5010 G_Port Short Wave Laser (4 ports) - card type: GSM
5011 G_Port Long Wave Laser (4 ports) - card type: GLM
5012 G_Port Short Wave(3) Laser/Long Wave(1) Laser - card type: GXX

62 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 All port cards are hot-pluggable.

Extended distance support: There can be up to 60 buffer credits per port for
10-100 km extended distance buffering. See Chapter 3, “FICON architecture” on
page 17 for more details on Buffer-to-Buffer credits information. This can be
configured on a port basis using the ED-5000 Product Manager.

There are two types of ED-5000 configurations:

• Basic configuration, which consists of:
• One to eight port cards
• One CTP card
• One CMM card
• One MPC card
• One power supply
• High-availability configuration, which consists of:
• One to eight port cards
We recommend that you order additional Fibre Channel ports in order to
use them as spare ports.
• High-availability feature set (F/C 5020)
• Two CTP cards
• Two CMM cards
• Two MPC cards
• Power supplies (F/C 5021)
• Two power supplies

The McDATA ED-5000 FICON Director high availability configuration offers

redundancy and maintenance capabilities such as:
• All active components are redundant.
• Active components provide support for automatic fail over.
• Redundant power and cooling.
• Hot swapping of all FRUs.
• Automatic fault detection and isolation.
• Non-disruptive firmware updates.

Any unused FICON port or entire card can be used as a spare, to take over the
operation for a failed port or card. To continue operation, fiber cables from failed
ports have to be reconnected to the unused operating ports.

6.2.10 McDATA ED-5000 FICON Director documentation

• McDATA ED-5000 Director Release 3.0 User Manual, 620-005002-200
• McDATA ED-5000 Director Release 3.0 Planning Guide, 620-005000-200
• McDATA ED-5000 Director Release 3.0 Installation Manual, 620-005003-200
• McDATA Enterprise Fabric Connectivity Manager - User Manual Release 3.0,
620-000106-000

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 63

6.3 McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director overview
This S/390 FICON Director is based on the McDATA Enterprise Fibre Channel
Switch ED-6064 (see Figure 42). It provides up to 64 FICON ports (F_ports). Any
port can effectively communicate with any other port using Fibre Channel Class 2
and Class 3 transmission service.

The McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director requires only 9U of rack space for 64
ports. This is twice the ports in half the space required by the ED-5000.

McDATA ED-6064 FICON Directors are installed in a McDATA FC-512 Cabinet (7

sq.ft. footprint Fabricenter Cabinet). Up to four ED-6064s can be mounted on
McDATA Fabricenter Cabinet, as shown in Figure 42.

IBM 2032 Model 064 and IBM 2032 Model C36 are the device types and models
used under the reseller agreement, respectively, for the McDATA ED-6064 and
McDATA FC-512 cabinets.

Ethernet Hub

ED-6064
Directors

EFC Server

ED-6064
Directors

Figure 42. The McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director

6.4 McDATA ED-6064 hardware components

The major hardware components on the front side of the ED-6064 FICON
Director are:
• Cable management assembly
• Front bezel
• Control Processor (CTP) cards

64 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 • Fibre port module (FPM) cards
• Power supplies

See Figure 43 for the physical location of these components.

CTP Cards

Power and
System Error
LEDs
Front
Bezel

FPM Cards (16)

Power Supplies
Cable Management
Assembly
Front
Frontview
view

Figure 43. McDATA ED-6064 front side hardware components

The major hardware components on the rear side of the ED-6064 FICON Director
are:
• Power module assembly
• Fan modules
• Serial crossbar (SBAR) assemblies
• Radio Frequency interference (RFI) assemblies (not shown in Figure 44)
• Backplane (not shown in Figure 44)

See Figure 44 on page 66 for the physical location of these components on the
rear side.

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 65

 Fan Modules

SBAR
Assemblies

Power Module
Assembly
Rear view
Rear view

Figure 44. McDATA ED-6064 rear side hardware components

6.4.1 Cable Management assembly

The cable management assembly at the bottom front of the Director provides
routing for the Ethernet cables attached to the CTP cards, and fiber optic cables
attached to Director ports. The assembly rotates up to provide access to the
redundant power supplies.

6.4.2 Front bezel

The bezel at the top of the Director includes an amber system error light-emitting
diode (LED) and a green power LED. The power LED glows when the Director is
powered on and operational. If the LED goes out, a facility power source,
alternating current (AC) power cord, or Director power distribution failure is
indicated.

The system error LED glows when the Director detects an event requiring
immediate operator attention, such as a FRU failure. The LED remains lit as long
as an event is active. It goes out when the Clear System Error Light function is
selected from the Product Manager application. A lit system error LED (indicating
a failure) takes precedence over unit beaconing.

6.4.3 Control Processor (CTP) card

The Director is delivered with two CTP cards. The active card initializes and
configures the director after power-on and contains the microprocessor and
associated logic that coordinate Director operation. A CTP card provides an initial
machine load (IML) button on the faceplate. When this button is pressed and held
for three seconds, the Director reloads firmware and resets both CTP cards
without switching off power or affecting operational fiber optic links.

Each CTP card also provides a 10/100 megabit per second (Mbps) RJ-45 twisted
pair connector on the faceplate that attaches to an Ethernet LAN to communicate
with the EFC Server or a simple network management protocol (SNMP)
management station.

66 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Each CTP card provides system services processor (SSP) and embedded port
(EP) subsystems. The SSP subsystem runs Director applications and the
underlying operating system, communicates with Director ports, and controls the
RS-232 maintenance port and 10/100 Ethernet port. The EP subsystem provides
Class F and exception frame processing, and manages frame transmission to
and from the SBAR assembly. In addition, a CTP card provides nonvolatile
memory for storing firmware, Director configuration information, persistent
operating parameters, and memory dump files. Director firmware is upgraded
concurrently (without disrupting operation).

The backup CTP card takes over operation if the active card fails. Failover from a
faulty card to the backup card is transparent to attached devices.

Each CTP card must have a separate Ethernet connection to the EFC Server.

Each card faceplate contains a green LED that glows if the card is operational
and active, and an amber LED that glows if the card fails. Both these LEDs are
not lit on an operational backup card. The amber LED blinks if FRU beaconing is
enabled.

6.4.4 Fibre Port Module (FPM) card

Each FPM card provides four full-duplex Fabric ports (F_ports) that transmit or
receive data at 1.0625 Gbps. An F_Port is an interface in the Director that
connects to a device node port (N_Port). They support transmission of Fibre
Channel Class 2 and Class 3 frames and use non-open fiber control (OFC) Class
1 laser transceivers.

Single-mode or multimode fiber optic cables attach to FPM cards through small
form factor (SFF) pluggable optic transceivers also known as Gigabit Interface
Converters (GBIC). The fiber optic transceivers provide duplex LC connectors,
and can be detached from the FPM cards (through a 10-pin interface) for easy
replacement. Two fiber optic transceiver types are available:
• Short wave laser - SW GBIC provides connection for transferring data over
short distances (2 to 500 m) through 50 micron or 62.5 micron multimode fiber.
• Long wave laser - LW GBIC provides connections for transferring data over
long distances (up to 20 km) through 9 micron single-mode fiber.

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 67

 Card LED

Port LEDs

Port Connectors Small Form Factor

Gigabit Interface
LC-Duplex Converter (GBIC)
Connector

Figure 45. FPM card LEDs and connectors

Figure 45 shows the faceplate of an FPM card, an LC Duplex connector, and a

small form factor GBIC. The card faceplate contains:
• Four GBIC LC Duplex receptacles for attaching fiber optic cables
• An amber light (at the top of the card) that glows if any port fails, or blinks if
FRU beaconing is enabled
• A bank of amber and green LEDs above the ports
One amber LED and one green LED are associated with each port and
indicate port status as follows:
• The green LED glows (or blinks if there is active traffic), and the amber
LED goes out to indicate normal operation.
• The amber LED glows and the green LED goes out to indicate a port
failure.
• Both LEDs go out to indicate a port is operational but not communicating
with an N_Port (no cable attached, loss of light, port blocked, or link
recovery in process).
• The amber LED flashes and the green LED either remains on, goes out, or
flashes to indicate a port beaconing or running online diagnostics.

The ED-6064 FICON Director provides chassis slots for up to 16 FPM cards (64
ports total). An FPM card is a concurrent FRU and can be added or replaced
while the ED-6064 is powered on and operating.

68 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Table 14 provides the Fibre Port Module specifications.
Table 14. ED-6064 FPM specifications

Card Port and Cabling and Transmission

Label Transceivers Connectors Distance

FPM Four short wave laser ports (850 50/125 micron multimode fiber 2 to 500 m
(F/C 6010) nm), non-open fiber control (OFC) with LC Duplex connectorsa

62.5/125 micron multimode fiber 2 to 300 m

with LC Duplex connectorsa

FPM Four long wave laser ports (1310 9/125 micron single mode fiber 2 m to
(F/C 6011) nm), non OFC with LC Duplex connectors 20 km

FPM Three short wave laser ports (850 50/125 micron multimode fiber 2 to 500 m
(F/C 6012) nm), non-OFC with LC Duplex connectorsa

62.5/125 micron multimode fiber 2 to 300 m

with LC Duplex connectorsa

One long wave laser port (1310 9/125 micron single mode fiber 2 m to
nm), non-OFC with LC Duplex connectorsa 20 km
a. Connectivity to SC Duplex is possible using fiber optic multimode (50 micron) cable with LC Du-
plex and SC Duplex connectors and SC Duplex-to-SC Duplex coupler. These parts can be ordered
with the ED-6064. See 6.4.11, “McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director configurations” on page 72.

FICON Director (ED-6064) port address mapping

On the McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director, physical port numbers do not match
port addresses. The Hardware Configuration Definition (HCD) and Input Output
Configuration Program (IOCP) use port address information to define control unit
link addresses. See Figure 46 on page 70 for physical port number-to-port
address mapping information. The port address value is the one that must be
defined as CU Link Address using HCD and IOCP if the attached N_Port is a
control unit.

For example, port number 35 is port address 27 for HCD and IOCP definitions.
Refer to 13.2, “FICON control unit” on page 176 for HCD/IOCP definition
information.

Appendix D, “FICON Director port configuration worksheet” on page 263 can be

used to assist in planning and installing FICON Directors.

A port number may have a different port address assigned if a port swap has
been performed.

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 69

 Port Address Port Number

CTP CTP
1 0

FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM FPM

43 3F 3B 37 33 2F 2B 27 23 1F 1B 17 13 0F 0B 07
63 59 55 51 47 43 39 35 31 27 23 19 15 11 07 03
42 3E 3A 36 32 2E 2A 26 22 1E 1A 16 12 0E 0A 06
62 58 54 50 46 42 38 34 30 26 22 18 14 10 06 02
41 3D 39 35 31 2D 29 25 21 1D 19 15 11 0D 09 05
61 57 53 49 45 41 37 33 29 25 21 17 13 09 05 01
40 3C 38 34 30 2C 28 24 20 1C 18 14 10 0C 08 04
60 56 52 48 44 40 36 32 28 24 20 16 12 08 04 00

15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Slot Number

Figure 46. ED-6064 FICON Director port number-to-port address mapping

6.4.5 Power supply

Redundant, load-sharing power supplies step down and rectify facility input
power to provide 48-volt direct current (VDC) power to Director FRUs. The power
supplies also provide over-voltage and over-current protection. Either power
supply can be replaced while the Director is powered on and operational.

Each power supply has a separate backplane connection to allow for different AC
power sources. The power supplies are input rated at 85 to 264 volts alternating
current (VAC). The faceplate of each power supply provides the following status
LEDs:
• A green PWR OK LED glows if the power supply is operational and receiving
AC power.
• An amber FAULT LED glows if the power supply fails.
• An amber TEMP LED glows if the power supply shuts down due to an
over-temperature condition.
• An amber I LIM LED glows if the power supply is overloaded and operating at
the current limit (15.6 amperes).

6.4.6 RFI shield

The RFI shield covers, and provides RFI protection for, all rear-access FRUs
except the power module assembly. The RFI shield is concurrent and can be
removed or replaced while the Director is powered on and operating.

70 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

6.4.7 Power module assembly
The power module assembly is located at the bottom rear of the Director. The
module is a nonconcurrent FRU, and the Director must be powered off prior to
removal and replacement. The module provides:
• Two single-phase AC power connectors
Each connector is input rated at 85 to 264 VAC.
• A power switch (circuit breaker) that controls AC power distribution to both
power supplies
The breaker is set manually, or is automatically tripped by internal software if
thermal sensors indicate the Director is overheated.
• A 9-pin maintenance port that provides a connection for a local terminal or
dial-in connection for a remote terminal
Although the port is typically used by maintenance personnel, operations
personnel use the port to configure network addresses.
• An input filter and AC system harness (internal to the FRU) that provides the
wiring to connect the AC power connectors to the power switch and power
supplies (through the backplane)

6.4.8 Fan module

Two fan modules, each containing three fans, provide cooling for Director FRUs,
as well as redundancy for continued operation if a fan fails.

A fan module can be replaced while the Director is powered on and operating,
provided the module is replaced within ten minutes (after which software powers
off the Director). An amber LED for each fan module glows if one or more fans fail
or rotate at insufficient angular velocity.

SBAR assembly
The Director is delivered with two SBAR assemblies. The active SBAR is
responsible for Fibre Channel frame transmission from any Director port to any
other Director port. Connections are established without software intervention.
The assembly accepts a connection request from a port, determines if a
connection can be established, and establishes the connection if the destination
port is available. The assembly also stores busy, source connection, and error
status for each Director port.

Each backup SBAR takes over operation if the active assembly fails, and
provides the ability to maintain connectivity and data frame transmission without
interruption. Failover to the backup assembly is transparent to attached devices.

Each SBAR assembly mounts flush on the backplane, and the FRU comprises
the card and a steel carriage. The carriage provides protection for the back of the
card, distributes cooling airflow, and assists in aligning the assembly during
installation. The rear of the carriage contains a green LED that glows if the
assembly is operational and active, and an amber LED that lights up if the
assembly fails. Both LEDs turn off on an operational backup assembly. The
amber LED blinks if FRU beaconing is enabled.

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 71

6.4.9 Backplane
The backplane provides 48 VDC power distribution and connections for all logic
cards. The backplane is a nonconcurrent FRU. The Director must be powered off
prior to FRU removal and replacement.

6.4.10 FICON Director CUP support

Control unit port (CUP) support is included in the ED-6064 Director. This is very
similar to the CUP function in the ESCON Director. The CUP function allows
OS/390 to manage the switch with the same level of control and security as
OS/390 has today in an ESCON Director. Host communication includes control
functions like blocking and unblocking ports, as well as monitoring and error
reporting functions. The software package that supports these functions is
SA/S390 (System Automation for S/390), and within this package its I/O-Ops (I/O
operations), which includes the ESCON and FICON Manager.

To support all of these functions, the FICON Director must be defined as a control
unit in the HCD and IOCP with a CUP port address of FE, the same as the
ESCON Director. See 13.5, “FICON Director (2032)” on page 180 for HCD/IOCP
definition information.

6.4.11 McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director configurations

The ED-6064 FICON Director supports a minimum of 32 ports (eight FPM cards)
and a maximum of 64 ports (16 port cards) in 4-port increments.

All port cards are hot-pluggable.

The ED-6064 comes standard with all high-availability features in the base unit.
You need only to select the number and type of ports, up to 16 port cards, the
mounting brackets (for factory or field installation in an FC-512 cabinet), and
power cord.

ED-60664 Directors are ordered using e.config selecting Storage and Storage
Area Network. The Fibre Port modules can be ordered using the following
Feature codes (F/C):
6010 Fibre 4-Port Module w/4-SW Transceivers (LC SFF GBIC)
6011 Fibre 4-Port Module w/4-LW Transceivers (LC SFF GBIC)
6012 Fibre 4-Port Module w/3-SW, 1-LW Transceivers (LC SFF GBIC)

Fiber Optic Multimode (50 micron) cables (10 m) with LC Duplex and SC Duplex
connectors can be ordered to adapt an existing SC Duplex cabling infrastructure
using F/C 1810.

An SC Duplex-to-SC Duplex coupler can be ordered using F/C 1800.

The McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director high-availability configuration offers

redundancy and maintenance capabilities such as:
• All active components are redundant.
• Active components provide support for automatic failover.
• Redundant power and cooling.
• Hot swapping of all FRUs.

72 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 • Automatic fault detection and isolation.
• Non-disruptive firmware updates.

Any unused FICON port or entire card can be used as a spare, to take over
operation for a failed port or card. To continue operation, fiber cables from failed
ports have to be reconnected to the unused operating ports.

Extended distance support: There can be up to 60 buffer credits per port for
10-100 km extended distance buffering. This can be configured on a port basis
using the ED-6064 Product Manager.

6.4.12 McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director documentation:

• McDATA ED-6064 Director - Planning Manual Release 1.0, 620-000106-000
• McDATA ED-6064 Director - User Manual Release 1.0, 620-000107-000
• McDATA ED-6064 Director - Installation and Service Manual Release 1.0,
620-000108-000
• McDATA Enterprise Fabric Connectivity Manager - User Manual Release 3.0,
620-000106-000

6.5 McDATA FICON Director EFC Manager

The Enterprise Fabric Connectivity (EFC) Manager is a java-based graphical user
interface (GUI) that enables the user to administer users and products, monitor
products and open the Product Managers.

The EFC Manager and Product Managers are separate applications; however,
the Product Managers are only accessible through the EFC Manager.

The EFC Manager, Fabric Manager, and Product Managers are installed on the
EFC Server to provide local access to managed products. These applications can
also be installed on remote user workstations to provide remote access to
managed products. A maximum of four concurrent remote users (in addition to
the local EFC Server user) can log in to the EFC Manager application.

One EFC Server can support up to 48 McDATA FICON Directors. A mix of

ED-5000 and ED-6064 is allowed.

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 73

 Figure 47. The McDATA EFC Manager Logon panel

The following security features are provided by the Directors and the EFC Server:
• Users’ access control through user name and password
• Remote access enable/disable or restrict to specific IP address
• Configuration changes recorded in an audit log

6.5.1 EFC Server hardware requirements

The following list summarizes hardware specifications for the EFC Server
notebook platform. Current platforms may ship with more enhanced hardware,
such as a faster processor, additional random-access memory (RAM), or a
higher-capacity hard drive or removable disk drive.
• Notebook PC with color monitor, keyword, keyword-mounted track-pad
(mouse), and U.S. power cord
• Intel Celeron processor with 366 megahertz (MHz) or greater clock speed,
running the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 operating system
• 2 GB or greater internal hard drive
• 128 MB or greater RAM
• CD-ROM drive
• 1.44 MB 3.5-inch disk drive
• 100 MB external disk (ZIP) drive
• 56K external modem
• Two 10/100 Mbps Ethernet adapters with RJ-45 connectors

74 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 • Ethernet adapter 1 - Built in the EC Server mother board
• Ethernet adapter 2 - Ethernet adapter card

The EFC Server and external modem are mounted in a slide-out drawer in the
Fabricenter cabinet. The server supports up to 48 Directors or other managed
McDATA products.

The EFC Server and managed Directors connect through a 10/100 Base-T
Ethernet hub. A 24-port hub is installed at the top front of the Fabricenter cabinet.

Hubs can be daisy-chained to provide additional connections as more Directors

are installed on a network.

An EFC server failure does not affect port connections or functions of an

operational Director. The only operating effect of a server failure is loss of remote
access, configuration, management, and monitoring functions.

A variety of methods for reporting problems and failure conditions are available:
• Remote diagnostics and event notification through the EFC Server modem.
• Automatic notifications through e-mail messages to administrators.
• FRU LEDs provide visual indicators.
• SNMP traps messages.
• Malfunctions reported by Control Unit Port (CUP) to host operating system.

6.5.2 McDATA FICON Director Network configurations

Customer system administrators determine whether to allow access to Directors
from remote workstations. If administrators allow remote sessions, they may
restrict access to selected workstations by configuring IP addresses of those
workstations through the EFC Manager application. When a remote session is
allowed, the remote user has the same right and permissions as if the session
were on the local EFC Server. Up to five EFC Manager sessions can be
simultaneously active (one local and four remote).

Remote workstations must have access to the LAN segment on which the EFC
Server is installed. Director administrative functions are accessed through the
LAN and EFC Server. The LAN interface can be:
• Part of a dedicated 10/100 Mbps LAN segment that provides access to
managed Directors. This Director-to-EFC Server Ethernet connection is part
of the equipment cabinet installation and is required. Connection of remote
workstations through the hub is optional. This type of network configuration
using one Ethernet connection through the EFC Server is shown in Figure 48
on page 76.

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 75

 Remote Workstation

Support
EFC-Server Center
(SNMP agent)

Remote Workstation 1
(SNMP traps) Customer Intranet
(10/100 Mbps)
(SNMP Manager)
)
ps
tra (S
P NM
NM P
(S tra
ps
)

ED-5000 ED-6064 ED-5000 ED-6064

Figure 48. FICON Director Network configuration (one Ethernet connection)

Note that remote workstations are not supported on the secondary adapter
(Ethernet adapter 2 - EFC Server adapter card), and must always connect to
the primary adapter (Ethernet adapter 1—built-in on the EFC Server mother
board).
Both CTP cards in a high-availability ED-5000 configuration or in all ED-6064s
must be connected to the customer’s intranet to insure continuous EFC Server
connection availability.
• Part of a second EFC Server interface that connects to a customer intranet
and allows operation of the Product Manager and Fabric Manager applications
from remote user PCs or workstations. The customer intranet can be a 10 or
100 Mbps LAN segment. Connection to this LAN segment is optional and
depends on customer requirements. This type of network configuration using
both Ethernet connections is shown in Figure 49 on page 77.

76 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Support
EFC-Server Center
Remote Workstation (SNMP agent)

Customer Intranet
(10/100 Mbps)
(SNMP traps) 1
s)
trap
NMP
(S
2
10/100 Mbps
Remote Workstation Ethernet Hub
(SNMP Manager)
s)
P trap
(SNM

ED-5000 ED-6064 ED-5000 ED-6064

Figure 49. FICON Director Network configuration (two Ethernet connections)

Note that if dual Ethernet adapters are to be used on the EFC Server, remote
workstations must use the adapter connected to the customer’s intranet, and
this must be the primary adapter (Ethernet adapter 1—built-in on the EFC
Server mother board).
Both CTP cards in a high-availability ED-5000 configuration or in all ED-6064s
must be connected to the internal EFC Server LAN (10/100 Mbps Ethernet
hub) to insure continuous EFC Server connection availability.

For network IP addresses planning considerations refer to the product planning

manual. For network IP address set-up, refer to the product installation manual.
These manuals are referenced in 6.2.10, “McDATA ED-5000 FICON Director
documentation” on page 63 and in 6.4.12, “McDATA ED-6064 FICON Director
documentation:” on page 73.

6.5.3 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

An SNMP agent can be used to access Director management information. With
SNMP, administrators can manage the ED-5000 or ED-6064 configuration, faults,
performance, accounting, and security from remote SNMP management stations.

An SNMP agent runs on the EFC Server and can be configured through the EFC
Manager application. Refer to the McDATA Enterprise Fabric Connectivity
Manager User Manual. This agent can be configured to send SNMP trap
messages to up to 12 recipients.

A separate SNMP agent runs on each Director that is configured through the
Product Manager application. Refer to the ED-5000 or ED-6064 User Manual.

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 77

 The Director SNMP agent can be configured to send trap messages to up to six
recipients.

6.5.4 McDATA FICON Director Product Manager overview

Figure 50 shows the McDATA Enterprise Fabric Connectivity Manager main
panel. This is the first panel that is displayed right after logon into the EFC
Manager.

Figure 50. EFC Manager product view

The following sections list and summarize the various options available to
monitor, manage and configure a McDATA FICON Director using the Product
Manager. Refer to the McDATA ED-500 or ED-6064 User Manual for a more
detailed description of these functions.

6.5.5 Monitoring and managing the FICON Director

To open the Product Manager, click a product icon in the Product View. The
Product Manager displays the default Hardware View.

From the Hardware View, the following options are available by clicking View:

78 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 • Hardware View
• Port List View
• FRU List View
• Node List View
• Performance View

Hardware View
Using this graphical view of the Director (Figure 51), you can view alert symbols
and LED indicators, display data, and use mouse functions to monitor status and
obtain vital product information for the Director and its hardware components.

G_Port Module (GSM), Slot 3, port 12-15

Figure 51. Product Manager: ED-5000 Hardware View

By slowly sliding the mouse cursor over the Director parts, you can easily identify
the selected part name, slot number, and port numbers, if applicable.

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 79

 G_Port Module (FPM), Slot 7, port 28-31

Figure 52. Product Manager: ED-6064 Hardware View

In this Hardware View (Figure 52), click a port card to see a detailed view of it. In
the Port Card View, colored indicators reflect functions of the actual LEDs on the
card. The table in the Port Card View displays the port operating state and vital
product information.

Figure 53 on page 81 shows an example of a Port Card View on an ED-5000.

80 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Figure 53. Port Card View-Port properties

Port Properties: Port Properties can be displayed by clicking a port connector or

right-clicking a connector and selecting Port Properties from the menu. They can
also be displayed by clicking on a row in the Port List view or right-clicking in the
Node List View and selecting Port Properties from the menu.

The Fibre Channel Address field in the Port Properties displays the 24-bit FC port
address. For a control unit port, the second byte of the 24-bit FC port address
must match the zSeries or 9672 G5/G6 CU link definition (HCD and/or IOCP).
Refer to Fabric address support in Chapter 3, “FICON architecture” on page 17
and to Chapter 13, “FICON I/O definition” on page 167.

Port List View

Clicking the View icon gets you the Port List View.

The Port List View displays the following information on all ports that can be
installed on the Director:
• Port number (#)
• Port Address (Addr)
• Port Name (Name)
• Blocked/Unblocked Port State (Block Config)
• Port State (State), Port Type (Type)

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 81

 • Port Alert indicator (Alert)

Right-clicking a row displays a menu allowing the following port-related actions:

• Display Port Properties
• Display node Properties
• Block Port
• Enable Beaconing
• Run Diagnostics
• Run Channel Wrap
• Swap Ports
• Clear Link Incident Alert(s)
• Reset Port

FRU List View

This view displays information about all installed FRUs on the Director.

Node List View

This view displays information about all node attachments to any F_Ports on the
FICON Director sorted by port number.

Node Properties: Node Properties can be displayed by clicking a row in the

Node List View or right-clicking a row and selecting Node Properties from the
menu. You can also display Node Properties by right-clicking a port in the Port
List View or Performance View. See Figure 54 on page 83.

82 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Figure 54. Node properties

The Port Address displayed in the Node Properties panel must correspond to the
CU link address defined in HCD and/or IOCP if this F_Port connects to a CU
N_Port.

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 83

 Performance View:
This view (Figure 55) displays a bar graph at the top of the view for each port.
The lower portion of the view displays statistical values for the specific port’s bar
graph that you select.

Figure 55. McDATA FICON Director Performance View

84 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

6.5.6 Configuring the FICON Director
The following options are available by clicking Configure on the Hardware View:
• Identification
• Operating Mode
• Operating Parameters
• Ports
• Addresses
• SNMP agent
• Management Server
• Features
• Date/Time
• Export Configuration Report

Configure Identification
Use the Identification option to configure Director Name, Description, Location,
and Contact Name.

Configure Operating Mode

On the McDATA ED-5000, S/390 Operating Mode must be selected using the
Operating Mode option in order to customize the Fibre Channel switch as a
FICON Director.

Figure 56. McDATA Configure Operation Mode panel

Configure Operating Parameters

The Operating Parameters option can be used to change the following
parameters (Figure 57 on page 86):
• Buffer-to-buffer credit (BB_Credit)
• Resource allocation time-out value (R_A_TOV)
• Error detect time-out value (E_D_TOV)
• Preferred Domain ID
• Switch Priority

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 85

 Figure 57. The McDATA FICON Configure Operating Parameters panel

Ordinarily, you do not need to change these values from their defaults. The only
exception is the Preferred Domain ID.

Change this value in the Director to make it unique in a customer configuration.

Preferred Domain ID values from 1 to 31 are supported.

To simplify problem determination, we recommend that the domain ID field (first

byte) of the 24-bit FC port address matches the switch number (IOCP
SWITCH=xx keyword in the CHPID macro, Dynamic switch ID and Entry switch
ID in the HCD Add Channel Path panel). This domain ID can be modified by
entering a value in the Preferred Domain ID field of the Configure Operating
Parameters panel.

Note:
The McDATA EFC Product Manager translates Preferred Domain ID field
values into Domain ID (first byte of the 24 -bit FC port address) as shown in
Table 15 on page 87. For example, if you want to set the domain ID (first byte of
the 24-bit FC port address) to 26, you need to enter 6 in the Preferred Domain
ID field. The same switch is defined with switch number 26 in HCD/IOCP.

The FICON Director must be set offline from the EFC Product Manager in order to
change the domain ID.

If you want to perform this task concurrently with customer operations, all FICON
channel paths communicating through this FICON Director must be configured
offline from the Operating System console.

86 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Concurrent procedure to change the FICON Director Domain ID:
1. Insure that all channel paths communicating through the FICON Director are
configured offline.
2. Log in the McDATA EFC Manager from the EFC Server.
3. Select the FICON Director from the Product View (double-click the Director
icon).
4. From the Hardware view, click Maintenance, select Set online state.. and set
the Director offline on the pop-up panel.
5. From the Hardware view, click Configure, select Operating Parameters, then
enter Preferred Domain ID in the Configure Operating Parameters panel
according to Table 15.
6. Click Activate.
7. On the Hardware view, click Maintenance, select Set online state.. and set
the Director online on the pop-up panel.
8. Configure online all FICON channel paths defined to communicate with this
FICON Director.
Table 15. FC port address Domain ID-to-Preferred Domain ID field translation

FC port Preferred FC port Preferred

address Domain ID address Domain ID
Domain ID field domain ID field

30 16

21 1 31 17

22 2 32 18

23 3 33 19

24 4 34 20

25 5 35 21

26 6 36 22

27 7 37 23

28 8 38 24

29 9 39 25

2A 10 3A 26

2B 11 3B 27

2C 12 3C 28

2D 13 3D 29

2E 14 3E 30

2F 15 3F 31

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 87

 Configure Ports
Use the Ports option (Figure 58) to enable or disable, for each individual port, the
10-100 km extended distance buffering (60 BB_Credits) and Link Incident
Notification (LIN) alerts.

Figure 58. The McDATA FICON Director Configure Ports panel

This panel lists the ports using port numbers. By checking the 10-100 box for a
specific F_Port, the user allows it to communicate with a remote N_Port at an
extended distance of 10 to 100 km. The BB_Credit value for this specific port is
then set to 60.

88 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Configure Addresses
The Active Addresses option (Figure 59) can be used to configure an active port’s
name, its state (blocked or unblocked), its connections (Allowed/Prohibited), and
CUP Name.

Figure 59. The McDATA FICON Director Configure Active Addresses panel

In this panel, the ports are listed using Port Addresses. CU port address values
match the LINK keyword values defined in HCD and IOCP for this control unit
link.

This option can also be used to view, activate, modify, delete, or copy address
configurations through the Address Configuration Library.

Chapter 6. McDATA FICON Directors 89

 Configure SNMP
Use this option to configure the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
agent that runs on the Director, network addresses, and community names.

Figure 60. The McDATA FICON Director Configure SNMP screen

Configure FICON Management Server

Use this option to specify whether the host is the controlling manager.

Configure Feature Key

Use this option to activate new features such as the FICON Management Server.

Configure Date and Time

Use this option to display and change the date and time set on the FICON
Director.

Export Configuration Report

Use this option to save an ASCII file of all currently saved configuration data in
the ED-5000 NVRAM to your hard drive or a diskette.

90 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Chapter 7. Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON Director
This chapter discusses the Inrange FC/9000-64 FICON Director hardware
components, configuration, port mapping and operation of the INRANGE
Enterprise Manager.

For information on defining the Inrange FICON Director, refer to “FICON Director
(2032)” on page 180.

7.1 Inrange FC/9000-64 FICON Director Overview

This FICON Director is based on the Inrange FC/9000-64 Fiber Channel Switch.
The Director provides an expandable and scalable fibre channel platform to the
customer. Up to a maximum of 128 FICON ports (16 FIO cards with 8 ports on
each card) can be installed in a single 40U cabinet as shown in Figure 61. This
allows 64 simultaneous FICON connections.

The INRANGE FC/9000-128 consists of two single FC/9000-64s stacked in the

same 40U cabinet. Special cables are provided to connect both Director
backplanes to allow any-to-any port communication.

I N R A N G E F C / 9 0 0 0 D ir e c t o r s
6 4 - p o rt s in a 4 0 U c a b in e t
6 4 -p o r ts in a 2 5 U c a b in e t

R e a r V ie w 1 2 8 - p o rt in a 4 0 U c a b in e t

1 2 8 -p o r ts in a 4 0 U c a b in e t

Figure 61. Inrange FC/9000-64 and FC/9000-128 FICON Directors

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 91

7.2 Inrange FC/9000 hardware components
The hardware components of the FC/9000-64 FICON Director are briefly
described in the following sections.

7.2.1 I/O Module (FIO)

The main function of the FIO Module is to provide the physical connectivity
between the FC/9000-64 and the external devices being connected to the
director.

The FIO Module has eight 1.0625 Gb/ps ports, which terminate at a Gigabit
Interface Converter (GBIC) to provide a user fiber interface connection. It also
supports up to eight credits per port allowing connection up to 10 km.

New Extended Credit and Addressing Facility (XCAF) FIO cards are available to
support up to 64 credits per port for distances of 100 km, and further distances
with optical repeaters. Three XCAF modules is the minimum configuration per
FC/9000 chassis. There can be from three to eight XCAF modules installed
depending on the FC/9000 Director configuration.

Each FIO Module has two redundant backplane paths through the backplane to
the redundant FSW cross-connect module. The FIO logic manages the
synchronized switch-over to the spare module. Each backplane FIO port has
redundant I/O, which is routed to a spare FSW module. The crosspoint chip is
then configured to bypass a failed FSW module and switches the connectivity
through the spare FSW.

There are some important LED indicators on the front panel of each FIO card:
• OT LED glows red to indicate that the temperature of the module is higher
than the acceptable operating temperature ranges.
• PWR OK LED glows green to indicate DC power to this module is good.
• L - A (Logged in - Activity) LEDs indicate the port status. L glows green to
indicate when a fibre channel device is logged into the port. The A LED glows
yellow to indicate data is passing.
• HEART BEAT LED glows yellow and is toggled on and off every second
indicating that the FIO Module is executing its flash code and functioning
correctly. Error conditions are indicated by a distinctive blink pattern.

7.2.2 Switching Module (FSW)

The Switching Module provides the physical and logical connectivity between
the installed FIO Modules.

7.2.3 Control Module (FCM)

The Controller Module provides the common command and control interface
for the Director and has connection capability to the Enterprise Manager,
which is used to monitor and control the Director.
Each FCM front panel has six LED indicators to indicate FCM module status,
and in addition there is a 4-character alphanumeric display.
FAULT LED glows red to indicate that a major problem occurred specific to this
module.

92 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 A 4-character display is used to display system fault codes. Each code
represents a Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) and a specific fault code. The module
number and specific fault code indicate where the fault occurred. The messages
are scrolled across the display.

7.2.4 Backplane module

The FC/9000-64 Backplane provides the connectivity between all modules
including FIO, FSW, FCM, power supply assemblies and fan assemblies.

FCM (Upper)
FIO Modules

FSW Modules

FCM (Lower)

AC Power Power Supply

Circuit Breaker Assemblies
Switches

Figure 62. FC/9000-64 major hardware components (front)

7.2.5 Power supply assembly

The power supply assemblies are located in the front left and right sides at the
bottom of the chassis. Each power supply assembly is a removable,
hot-swappable unit. Two power supply assemblies provide the FC/9000-64
with full DC redundancy (load sharing) for a single chassis system.

7.2.6 Fan module assembly

Four fan module assemblies, located in the rear of the chassis, provide the
cooling capability for the FC/9000-64 switch. In the event of a single fan
failure, the three remaining fans may increase their speeds to a higher
operating rpm to compensate for the single fan failure.

Chapter 7. Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON Director 93

 Rear View of FC/9000-64
Upper
Upper Right
Left Fan
Fan

j202
(Upper j204 (Upper
Lower Lower left fan) right fan)
Left Right
Fan Fan

j202 j205 (Lower

(Lower right fan)
left fan)

Rear Panel in
Place Backplane
DIP Switch DSW1
Rear Panel
Removed
Cables Installed only when a two
chassis configuration is used.
Otherwise, loop back plugs are
installed.

Figure 63. FC/9000-64 rear view

7.3 Inrange FC/9000-64 FICON Director configuration

The FC/9000-64 FICON Director can be configured in 8-port increments with a
maximum of 64 ports (eight ports per card).

There is also a model (FC/9000-128) available that consists of two single

FC/9000-64s that are stacked in the same cabinet. Special cables are provided to
connect both Director backplanes to allow any-to-any port communication (see
Figure 63).

A model FC/9000-64 can be upgraded to a model FC/9000-128. Prerequisite to

do the upgrade to FC/9000-128 is that both chassis must be in an Inrange single
40U high cabinet.

Appendix D, “FICON Director port configuration worksheet” on page 263 can be

used for FICON Director planning and installation.

Two types of FC/9000-64 configurations are possible:

1. Basic configuration
2. High availability configuration (duplexed FCM, power supply and spare FSW)
We recommend that you have two separate, independent and uninterruptable
power sources and circuit breakers for the FC/9000-64.

The basic configuration consists of:

• Three FIO Modules
• Four FSW Modules
• One FCM Module

94 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 • One power supply assembly
• Four fan modules

A high availability configuration consists of:

• Eight FIO Modules
• Five FSW Modules
• Two FCM Modules
• Two power supply assemblies
• Four fan modules

The FC/9000-64 FICON Director offers multiple configuration options for FICON
connectivity. The FIO ports are served by optic GigaBit Interface Converters
(GBICs). A GBIC contains a transmitter and a receiver that can send and receive
optical signals from other switches or devices. The signals are converted by the
GBIC into electrical signals that are processed by the unit. Electrical signals
coming from the unit are converted into optical signals. Two different GBICs are
available, which can be plugged into FIO ports to meet the following configuration
options:
• LW - Longwave laser (1300 nm), single-mode fiber (9/125)
Uses a Duplex SC connector.
Distance:
- 2 m to 10 km using 9 micron fiber
• SW - Shortwave laser (850 nm), multimode fiber (50/125 or 62.5/125)
Uses a Duplex SC connector.
Distance:
- 500 m maximum using 50 micron fiber
- 300 m maximum using 62.5 micron fiber

GBIC CONNECTOR
SC FIBER OPTIC
CONNECTOR

GBIC KEYWAY
RX (ONE ON EACH SIDE
OF THE GBIC)
TX GBIC LATCH

SC CONNECTOR KEYWAYS

GBIC: INDIVIDUALLY OPERATED LATCHES

Figure 64. Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC)

Chapter 7. Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON Director 95

 All ports in the FC/9000-64 function either as F_ports or E_ports. When the
E_port attaches to an end device’s node port (N_port), it automatically functions
as an F_port (Self-Discovering/Self Configuring port).

Fabric latency is less than 3.0 microseconds.

7.3.1 FICON Director CUP support

Control Unit Port (CUP) support is included in the Inrange FC/9000-64 FICON
Director. This function can be compared to the CUP function used on the ESCON
Director (IBM 9032). The CUP function allows OS/390 to manage the switch with
the same level of control and security that OS/390 has today on an ESCON
Director. Host communication includes control functions like blocking/unblocking
ports as well as monitoring and error reporting functions.

To support all of these functions, the FICON Director must be defined as a control
unit in the IOCP with a CUP port address of FE, the same as the ESCON
Director.

7.3.2 FICON Director port address mapping

On the Inrange FC/9000-64 FICON Director, the physical port numbers do not
match port addresses. Hardware Configuration Definition (HCD) and Input Output
Configuration Program (IOCP) use port address information to define control unit
port addresses, which are displayed as FC Addresses on the Inrange FICON
Director Enterprise Manager.

There is an offset of 1 between port numbers and the FC Address (port address)
on the Inrange FC/9000-64 FICON Director.

P
FIO FIO FIO FIO FIO FIO FIO FIO
O 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
R
T
F F F F F
1 00 08 10 18
S S S S S
20 28 30 38

2 01 09 11 19 W W W W W 21 29 31 39

3 02 0A 12 1A 22 2A 32 3A
S
4 03 0B 13 1B p 23 2B 33 3B
a
5 04 0C 14 1C r 24 2C 34 3C
e
6 05 0D 15 1D 25 2D 35 3D

7 06 0E 16 1E 26 2E 36 3E

8 07 0F 17 1F 27 2F 37 3F

Physical Address (Port Address) 0F

Port Number 16
FIO-2, Port-8

Figure 65. FC/9000-64 port number to FC Address (port address) mapping

96 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 For an FC/9000-128 Director, a second chassis is stacked on the base one.
Figure 66 shows the extended port addresses in relation to the physical port
connection.

P
FIO FIO FIO FIO FIO FIO FIO FIO
O 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
R
T
F F F F F
1 40 48 50 58
S S S S S
60 68 70 78

2 41 49 51 59 W W W W W 61 69 71 79

3 42 4A 52 5A 62 6A 72 7A
S
4 43 4B 53 5B p 63 6B 73 7B
a
5 44 4C 54 5C r 64 6C 74 7C
e
6 45 4D 55 5D 65 6D 75 7D

7 46 4E 56 5E 66 6E 76 7E

8 47 4F 57 5F 67 6F 77 7F

Figure 66. Port addresses for an FC/9000-128 Director (second chassis)

“FICON Director port configuration worksheet” on page 263 can be used to assist
in planning and installing FICON Directors.

7.3.3 Inrange FC/9000-64 FICON Director documentation

The following documentation is available for the FC/9000-64:
• Inrange FC/9000-64 FIBRE Channel Director, 9110461-102-03
• Inrange FC/9000-64 Site Planning Guide, 9110460-101-0
• Inrange IN-VSN Enterprise Manager Software Installation and Operation
Manual, 9110509-203-00

7.4 Inrange FC/9000-64 IN-VSN Enterprise Manager software

A designated IN-VSN Enterprise Manager Workstation PC is not a physical part
of the FC/9000-64 but an integral part of the FC/9000-64 operation. This
workstation PC is where the IN-VSN Enterprise Manager software is installed.

Inrange recommends that the Enterprise Manager run on a designated

workstation PC with a minimum configuration of:
• 500 MHz Pentium III ISA/PCI PC
• 128 MB SDRAM
• 4 MB of Video RAM
• 13.5 GB hard disk drive

Chapter 7. Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON Director 97

 • 1.44 floppy drive
• CD-ROM drive
• Mouse
• Ethernet 10/100Base-T port
• 17-inch SVGA monitor (1280x1024x256)
• Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6

FC/9000-64 configuration and connectivity management is controlled by a

browser-based graphical user interface (GUI) called IN-VSN Enterprise Manager.

The management system control application provides the capability to:

• Define module and port configurations (Port Offline/Online)
• Monitor alarms and Director performance
• Display error and event logs
• Invoke Director diagnostics

One or more FC/9000-64 or FC/9000-128 Directors can be controlled from the

same IN-VSN Enterprise Manager using the 10/100BASE-T port connector on the
FCM module. An Ethernet hub provides physical connectivity between the
FC/9000 Directors and the IN-VSN Enterprise Manager, as shown in Figure 67.

IN-VSN Enterprise Manager

IN-VSN Enterprise
Manager Client

F Ethernet Hub IN-VSN Enterprise IN-VSN Enterprise

C Manager Server Manager Client
M

F
C
M

FC/9000-128
FC/9000-64

FC/9000-64

Figure 67. IN-VSN Enterprise Manager Server/Client configuration

The IN-VSN Enterprise Manager communicates with the FC/9000 FICON

Directors while the IN-VSN Enterprise Manager Client communicates with the
IN-VSN Enterprise Manager Server.

A total of four fabrics (where each fabric can have a maximum of 32 switches)
can be monitored and controlled by the same IN-VSN Enterprise Manager
software.

98 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) allows you to manage the
Director using SNMP as the transport protocol.

Figure 68 shows the Configuration Tab active for a fabric, which allows you to
type in all necessary entries needed for the connection to the Enterprise
Manager. This type of configuration must be done for each FC/9000-64 present in
the fabric to be able to communicate with the Enterprise Manager.

Figure 68. Configuration window

7.4.1 Working with the Enterprise Manager

The following information is valid for both the FC/9000-64 and FC/9000-128
FICON Directors and describes the information provided by the Enterprise
Manager.

The IN-VSN Enterprise Manager is composed of a set of windows, with each

window managing a different aspect of Switch/Fabric configuration.

Chapter 7. Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON Director 99

 Figure 69. Initial login screen for Enterprise Manager

The first window that the application displays following login is the Main Display
screen. From this screen you can navigate to other screens that allow you to
configure and control any FC/9000-64 switch to which you have access.

The window shown in Figure 70 is the first one that comes up after the initial
logon window of the Enterprise Manager and shows all the fabrics configured to
and controlled by this Enterprise Manager.

Figure 70. Fabric view

100 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

The name list shows five fabrics configured to this Enterprise Manager. Also,
there are selections to display the AuditTrail and the EventLog on the left side of
this window.

Selecting Fabrics will open a window showing all the fabrics by the names
controlled by this Enterprise Manager.

Figure 71. Fabric selection window

Select the fabric that you are interested to work with by clicking the desired
switch; see Figure 72 on page 102.

Chapter 7. Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON Director 101

 FC-64 FC-64

FC-128

Figure 72. Display of switches for a selected fabric

All switches defined for this selected fabric are displayed. In this example, there
are three switches defined; other fabrics may have one or even more switches.
Clicking the switch symbol will open the general switch view with all the boards
associated with it and the configuration for this specific switch.

This “General” screen is the default view (see Figure 73 on page 103). It shows
the face view of the switch together with all installed boards and components of it,
and also presents failure information about the main components, if there is any.
The temperature is displayed as well.

102 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Power Supply Fault

Figure 73. General view for a selected switch

For a description of the other tabs on this screen refer to IN-VSN Enterprise
Manager Software Installation and Operation Manual, 9110509-203-00.

Figure 74 on page 104 shows the configuration for the selected switch, which has
eight FIO cards installed as well as an FCM-1 and an FCM-2 card. By default, the
first FIO card is selected and the status of this card is displayed, which is
ONLINE.

This display has to be used in case of FIO maintenance to set the whole card
offline to be able to remove the card and install a new one. For additional
information refer to the available onsite documentation.

Chapter 7. Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON Director 103

 Figure 74. FIO port card selected

To get information about the ports on this card, either click the card graphic or
select it by clicking FIO-1 (or any other FIO card you are interested in).

Figure 75. Display of all ports for the selected FIO card

104 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Figure 75 on page 104 shows all the ports from the selected FIO card. You can
get information about any port by clicking either the port number shown in the
graphic, or by selecting the port by clicking the number of the port tree.

Figure 76. Display of a single selected port

Figure 76 shows all necessary information about this selected port:

• Port Name
• World Wide Name (WWN)
The Worldwide name (WWN) is an 8-byte field that uniquely identifies a node
(F_Port or N_Port). This field is independent and not related to FICON
addressing.
• Port status
• Performance graphic
• FC Address
The FC Address is a very important field, containing the full 24-bit FC-PH
address; it has the format of 11:39:00 in this example, which means:
- 11 = Domain Address, result of the Fabric Login (FLOGI) by the channel
against the switch. This number should be unique to a Director and can be
changed to another value. We recommend that it be the same as the
Logical Switch Number used in IOCP.
It is expected that the change of the Domain Address is done by a Service
Representative during installation of the Director.
The sequence for changing the Domain Address is as follows:
• Log on to the Enterprise Manager as user maint with PW super.
This logs you on in Maintenance Mode.

Chapter 7. Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON Director 105

 • Select the System Configuration tab.
Now you can change the Director ID to another value (default = 0).

Figure 77. Director ID set to 4 results in Domain Address of 11 (11.12.00)

• Press Apply to activate the change.

Note
This change will be disruptive to the FICON Director.

- 39 = Port address to which the CU is connected, extracted from the IOCP

definition, specifically from the LINK keyword of the CNTLUNIT statement.
- 00 = Part of the response from the switch to FLOGI issued by the channel,
containing a constant (AL_port address). This value cannot be changed.
Note that all ports inside the same switch will have the same FC Address
and the same constant (AL_port address), while the port number is an
assigned value taken from IOCP.
• The fiber cable is plugged into the FIO port by using a Duplex SC connector
that is plugged into an LW or SW Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC),
depending on which type of link you are using (see Figure 64 on page 95).
This GBIC then is plugged into one of the eight port locations of the FIO
Module, depending on your configuration.
To get more information about the GBIC used for this port, simply slide the
cursor over the port symbol and a pop-up window will be opened showing the
details for the selected port (see Figure 78 on page 107):
- Port name (can be changed to any name)
- WWN name

106 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 - Physical address (FC address)
- GBIC specification

Port - 0 58
W W N : 10000000c922bd7e F IO
8
P hysical A ddress: 11:39:00
G BIC : O ptical LW , 100-S M -LC -L

38

39

3A

3B

3C

3D

3E

3F

P h ysical A ddress: 11 : 39 : 00
D om ain A ddress C onstant (AL_port address)

Figure 78. Display specific port information

In this example, port 2 of the FIO-8 card was selected, which actually has the
physical address (port address) of 39, which could be compared to the link
address for the CU in IOCP (see Figure 65 on page 96 for port mapping
reference).

The Domain ID for this Director is 11 and should correspond to the logical switch
number used in IOCP.

Chapter 7. Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON Director 107

108 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
Chapter 8. IBM 2105
This chapter discusses the IBM ESS 2105 with FICON native (FC) adapters
installed. For information about defining the ESS 2105 subsystem in a FICON
environment, see “FICON ESS (2105)” on page 183.

Figure 79. Enterprise Storage Server 2105

8.1 FICON resources

This section describes the resources for the ESS 2105 subsystem with FICON
adapters.

Table 16 provides a summary and comparison of the ESCON and FICON

resources available on the ESS 2105 subsystem.
Table 16. Comparison of ESS 2105 ESCON and FICON resources

Resource ESCON FICON

Ports (adapters) 0 - 32, in increments of 2 0-16, in increments of 1

N-Node logins per port N/A Up to 128

Logical paths per port Up to 64 Up to 256

Max number of devices 4096 4096

Max number of S/390 logical 16 16

control units per port

Max number of logical paths 128 128

per S/390 logical control unit

8.1.1 Topology
The IBM ESS supports the following topologies:

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 109

 • Point-to-point attachment to FICON native (FC) channels
• Switched point-to-point attachment to FICON native (FC) channels

An example of a switched point-to-point topology is shown in Figure 80.

zSeries Processor
FICON native (FC) Channels
E8 F8 E9 F9 EA FA EB FB

0C 1C 0C 1C 0C 1C 0C 1C
LSN 08 LSN 09 LSN 0A LSN0 B
FICON Directors

09 19 09 19 09 19 09 19
FICON Adapters

CU 2000 Disk 2000-20xx (LCU 0)

CU 2100 Disk 2100-21xx (LCU 1)
CU 2200 Disk 2200-22xx (LCU 2)
CU 2300 Disk 2300-23xx (LCU 3)
CU 2400 Disk 2400-24xx (LCU 4)
CU 2500 Disk 2500-25xx (LCU 5)
CU 2600 Disk 2600-26xx (LCU 6)
CU 2700 Disk 2700-27xx (LCU 7)

Figure 80. ESS 2105 FICON (FC mode) switched point-to-point configuration

8.1.2 FICON adapters

The ESS has four host adapter bays, each of which supports four host adapters.
Each host adapter has one or two ports, depending on the type: SCSI, ESCON or
fiber channel. The ESS supports up to 32 physical ports across 16 host system
adapters in any combination of the following:
• Up to 32 SCSI ports (two ports per host adapter)
• Up to 16 fiber channel ports (one port per host adapter)
• Up to 32 ESCON channel ports (two ports per host adapter)

The 16 fiber channel host adapters support the FICON native (FC) channel
attachment. Each adapter has a single host port. The ESS supports up to 16
FICON long-wave (9 micron) host adapters or FICON short-wave (50 or 62.5
micron) host adapters.

When ordering an IBM ESS 2105, the following Fibre Channel feature codes can
be selected:
3021 Fibre Channel Longwave (LW) Host Adapter supporting FCP and
FICON protocols. This feature code includes a 31 meter, longwave
fibre optic (9 micron) cable with SC-Duplex connectors.
3023 Fibre Channel shortwave (SW) Host Adapter supporting FCP and
FICON protocols. This feature code includes a 31 meter, short wave
fibre optic (50 micron) cable with SC-Duplex connectors.

110 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Please note that even though 3022 is a Fibre Channel adapter feature code, it
does not support the FICON protocol.

8.1.3 Logical paths

Up to 256 logical paths per FICON host adapter port are supported on the ESS
Model F20. While the FICON port supports four times as many logical paths as
an ESCON port on the ESS Model F20, the maximum number of logical paths
supported on the logical control unit remains the same, at 128.

8.1.4 Devices
The maximum number of devices configurable on the ESS Model F20 is 4096,
which includes both base and alias PAV devices.

8.2 Software support

Software device support for the ESS 2105 with FICON attachment is provided in
APAR OW34073. Check the latest PSP bucket before installing FICON capable
ESS 2105 (upgrade ID=2105device).

8.3 Configuration considerations

When planning for an ESS 2105 configuration with FICON host adapters, the
following must be considered:
• Topology (point-to-point or switched point-to-point)
• Distances (control unit to processor in point-to-point or control unit to FICON
director and processor to FICON director in switched point-to-point).
• ESS 2105 resources (see “FICON resources” on page 109)
• Availability and performance

8.3.1 Distance
The maximum FC link unrepeated distance between the ESS longwave (LW)
FICON host adapter port and either the z900 or G5/G6 FICON channel
(point-to-point) or the FICON Director port (switched point-to-point) is 10 km.
Processor RPQ 8P1984 is available to extend this distance to 20 km.

The IBM ESS 2105 FICON control unit can support a maximum distance of 100
km from a processor FICON channel without experiencing data droop. Using
longwave technology, Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexers (DWDM) and
Optical amplifiers, a single FICON FC link can be extended to 100 km.

The maximum FC link unrepeated distance between the ESS shortwave (SW)
FICON host adapter port and either the z900 or G5/G6 FICON channel
(point-to-point) or the FICON Director port (switched point-to-point) is 300 m if
using a 62.5 micron fiber optic cable, or 500 m if using a 50 micron fiber optic
cable.

In a switched point-to-point topology (two FC links in the path), a mix of longwave

and shortwave technology is supported. For example, the processor FICON
channel to FICON director FC link may use longwave (10 km or 20 km with RPQ)

Chapter 8. IBM 2105 111

 while the FICON director port to ESS FICON host adapter FC link may use
shortwave (300 m).

Table 17 summarizes the maximum distance options that are available with ESS
2105 FICON adapters installed.
Table 17. FICON Host adapters maximum distances supported

Feature Connector Fiber Bit rate Fiber Maximum Link

Code Optic (Gbps) Bandwidth Distance Loss
Cable

3021 (LW) SC-Duplex SM 1.06 n/a 10 km 7 dB

(9 um) 20 km
w/RPQ

3023 (SW) SC-Duplex MM 1.06 500 MHz/km 300 m 6 dB

(62.5 um)

MM 1.06 400 MHz/km 500 m 6 dB

(50 um)

Refer to “FICON - Fibre Channel cabling” on page 153 for a detailed description
of the available cabling options.

8.3.2 Availability and performance

• Define a minimum of four channel paths per CU. Fewer channel paths will not
allow exploitation of full ESS bandwidth. A more typical configuration would
have eight FICON channels for a 3.4 terabyte (TB) ESS.
• Spread FICON host adapters across all adapter bays. This should result in at
least one host adapter per bay, or in a typically configured ESS, two host
adapters per bay.
• Define a minimum of four FICON channels per path group.
• If migrating from an ESCON to a FICON environment:
- ESCON utilizations below 25% - plan up to one FICON for eight ESCONs.
- ESCON utilizations between 25-50% - plan one FICON for four ESCONs.
- ESCON utilization above 75% - plan one FICON for two ESCONs.

Refer to 8.1, “FICON resources” on page 109 for a description of the definition
requirements for the ESS 2105 with FICON adapters.

112 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Chapter 9. IBM 3590 Model A60
This chapter discusses the IBM 3590 Model A60 with FICON adapters installed.
For information on defining the 3590 in a FICON environment, refer to “FICON
tape control unit (3590)” on page 185.

Figure 81. 3590 model A60 tape control unit

9.1 FICON resources

This section describes the resources for the 3590 subsystem with FICON
adapters.

The 3590 Model A60 tape control units attach to the FICON channels on a 9672
Enterprise G5 or G6 server or zSeries server.

The minimum required micro code level for 3590 Model A60 is 1.12.4.6 to support
native FICON.

Table 18 provides a summary and comparison of the ESCON and FICON

resources available on the 3590 model A60.
Table 18. Comparison of 3590-A60 ESCON and FICON resources

Resource ESCON FICON

Adapters 1 to 4 1 or 2

N-Node logins per adapter N/A Up to 64

Logical paths per adapter Up to 64 Up to 64

CUs and CUADDs 1 1

Logical paths per CU Up to 128 Up to 128

CU addressing base and Any base, up to 16 UAs Any base, up to 16 UAs

range

Devices, base and range Up to 12 x 3590 drives Up to 12 x 3590 drives

Distance Up to 3km 10km, with RPQ up to 20km

Note the following:

• The ESCON Adapter Card provides 2 ESCON ports.
• The FICON Adapter Card provides 1 FICON port.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 113

 Figure 82 shows a sample configuration for 3590 with FICON attachment.

zSeries Processor zSeries Processor

FICON (FC) Channels FICON (FC) Channels
E9 F9 E1 F1

1C 0C 1C 0C

LSN 09 FICON Directors LSN 0A

08 08
FICON Adapters

CU 6000
(LCU 0)

FICON 3590 Device 6000

Device 6001
Device 6002

Figure 82. Sample 3590 Model A60 FICON adapter configuration

9.1.1 FICON adapters

The 3590 model A60 can have up to two FICON adapters in the following
combinations with ESCON adapters:
• 0 FICON and 2, 4, 6, or 8 ESCON ports (2 ESCON ports per adapter)
• 1 FICON (one FICON port per adapter) and 0, 2, 4, or 6 ESCON ports
• 2 FICON (any mix of shortwave or longwave laser) and 0, 2, or 4 ESCON
ports

The 3590 Model A60 provides one Fabric Login (FLOGI) per port and up to 64
N_Port Logins per port (PLOGI).

Both FICON and ESCON paths may be a part of a single path group. So a given
host image may have simultaneously active FICON and ESCON connectivity to
the same device.

To use this accessibility for OS/390 or z/OS, through ESCON and FICON,
requires configuring the same device address for both path types.

9.1.2 Logical paths

Up to 64 logical paths per port are supported by the 3590 Model A60.

If four hosts each have 16 LPARS (using EMIF) that attach to a given 3590 Model
A60 port (via a switch port), then four PLOGIs will occur and 64 logical paths will
be established.

114 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 If sixteen hosts each have four LPARS (using EMIF), that attach to a given 3590
Model A60 port (via a switch port), then 16 PLOGIs will occur and 64 logical paths
will be established.

In general, there is one PLOGI for each physical host port connecting to the 3590
Model A60.

9.1.3 Devices
Currently the 3590 Model A60 presents only a single Logical Control Unit (LCU 0)
and supports up to 12 devices.

9.2 Software support

APAR OW43574 provides support for the 3590 FICON attachment.

It is recommended that you have APAR OW47844 installed if running z/OS.

Check the latest copy of the PSP bucket: upgrade 3590device

9.3 Configuration considerations

To have FICON/ESCON intermix within the same path group is normally regarded
as useful for attachment migration only and not for a long-term configuration.
Channel balancing algorithms in the host do not work quite as effectively in this
configuration as they theoretically could.

Some confusion in RMF interpretations is introduced with the mix, although the
new queue time and defer time reported should help alleviate some of this.

Dynamic CHPID support is not currently available for the 3590 Model A60, but
when it is, it will not apply to mixed configurations.

Where FICON is isolated to one set of host images and ESCON to another set,
none of the above mentioned concerns apply.

9.3.1 Distance
The FICON attachment is available via either shortwave or longwave. The 3590
Model A60 controller is directly attachable to host systems for up to 10 km or up
to 20 km with RPQ8P1984. The 3590 Model A60 is also directly attachable up to
100 km away with a FICON/Fibre Channel Director with appropriate repeaters.

With the FICON short wavelength attachment, the 3590 Model A60 controller is
directly attachable to a host system or FICON/Fibre Channel Director at a
distance up to 500 m.

Feature Code FC0103 provides a FICON longwave to ESCON 50 micron Mode

Conditioner Patch (MCP) cable, and FC0106 provides a FICON longwave to
ESCON 62.5 micron Mode Conditioner Patch (MCP) cable to permit ESCON
trunk fibre reuse for FICON attachment at reduced distances. The MCP cable has
one male SC Duplex connector on one end and one ESCON receptacle on the
other end. Each link requires two of these MCP cables. One cable goes between
the control unit feature #3432 and the ESCON cable, and the other goes between
the host channel and ESCON cable.

Chapter 9. IBM 3590 Model A60 115

 Feature Code FC0109 provides a FICON short wavelength to ESCON 62.5
micron jumper cable to permit the use of installed 62.5 micron ESCON trunk fiber
cables for the FICON short wavelength attachment. Two of these cables are
required on each link (one between the control unit feature #3433 and the
ESCON cable, and one between the ESCON cable and the host or director short
wavelength channel connection). This cable allows use of existing 62.5 micron
multimode fiber cables at reduced distances. The total cable length cannot
exceed 250 m (820 feet).

116 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Chapter 10. IBM 3170
This chapter discusses the IBM 3170 Infoprint Color 130 Plus printer with FICON
adaptors installed. For information on defining the FICON-capable 3170, refer to
“FICON printer (3170)” on page 186.

Figure 83. 3170 Infoprint Color 130 Plus

10.1 FICON resources

This section describes the resources for the 3170 subsystem with FICON
adapters.

The 3170 Infoprint Color 130 Plus printer supports FICON channel attachment on
one interface adapter.

The FICON resource information for the FICON 3170 is summarized in Table 19.
Table 19. FICON 3170 resources

FICON Resource Number

Interface adapters cards (ports) per CU 1

N-Node logins per port Up to 32

Maximum N-Node logins per CU 32

(regardless of number of ports)

Number of control unit images (CUADDs) 1

Logical paths per port Up to 32

Maximum logical paths per CU 32

Maximum number of devices 1

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 117

 FICON Resource Number

Unit address base and range Any even from

00-FE

Maximum unrepeated distance 10km (or 20km

with RPQ)

Maximum end-to-end distance 100km

10.1.1 FICON adapter

The 3170 Model 005 supports 1FICON adapter. It is possible to install a FICON
adapter and an ESCON adapter, but only one can be enabled at a time. The
following combinations are supported for the adapters on the FICON 3170 control
unit:
• One ESCON adapter
• Two ESCON adapters, both enabled to a device
• One FICON adapter
• One ESCON and one FICON adapter, but only one enabled at a time to a
device
That is, they are mutually exclusive. If the ESCON adapter is enabled to a
device, the FICON adapter cannot be enabled to that same device. If the
FICON adapter is enabled to a device, the ESCON adapter cannot be enabled
to that same device.

10.1.2 Logical paths

The FICON 3170 port supports up to 32 logical paths. The control unit supports a
maximum of 32 logical paths, regardless of the number of adapters.

10.1.3 Devices
The 3170 has only one device per printer.

10.2 Software support

The FICON-capable 3170 attachment is supported by PSF 3.2.0 for OS/390 with
z/OS R1 or OS/390 R2.6 and later releases. APAR OW44362 for PSF 3.2.0 is
also required. Before installing the FICON 3170, check the PSF 3.2.0 PSP bucket
for the latest maintenance recommendations. The PSP bucket upgrade name is
PSFMVS320. Note that there is no specific hardware PSP bucket for the 3170
device.

PSF 3.2.0 automatically exploits the enhanced FICON native (FC) channel
performance by specifying CCW and data pipelining. No external user controls
are required.

10.3 Configuration considerations

This section discusses the considerations and recommendations for a 3170
FICON configuration.

118 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

10.3.1 Distance
The maximum distance to a 3170 is 10 km with 9 micron single mode fiber (20Km
with an RPQ) and 550 m with 62.5 or 50 um multimode fiber, using the
appropriate Mode Conditioner Patch cable at both ends of the link. These
distances apply to both the zSeries and the 9672 G5/G6 processors, since the
same FICON adapter card with longwave laser is used.\

Mode Conditioner Patch Cable feature codes:

• FC 0103 is used to connect a longwave laser to existing 50 um multimode
fiber.
• FC 0106 is used to connect a longwave laser to existing 62.5 um multimode
fiber.
The maximum distance to the host server, including intervening switches and
extenders, is 100 km without experiencing significant data droop.

10.3.2 Number of paths

Only one path can be configured from each operating system image to the
FICON 3170 device, since only one FICON adapter is available.

Figure 84 shows a sample FICON configuration for the 3170 Infoprint Color 130
Plus.

zSeries Processor zSeries Processor

FC CNC FC CNC
F9 C9 F1 C1

1C 0C 54
73
FICON ESCON
LSN 09 Director Director LSN 0A

05 ESCON Adapter 95
FICON Adapter

CU 4100
(LCU 0)

3170
Infoprint Colour 130 Plus Device 4100

Figure 84. Sample FICON 3170 configuration

Chapter 10. IBM 3170 119

120 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations
This chapter covers z/Architecture and S/390 FICON configuration design
aspects, including point-to-point and switched point-to-point topologies, FICON
and ESCON intermixed environments, connectivity recommendations and
configuration examples.

Although FICON channels operate very differently from ESCON channels (as
discussed in Chapter 15, “FICON channel operation and performance” on
page 205 ), from the configuration design point of view (topologies) they are
similar. The most important differences are:
• In the initial FICON switched point-to-point topology implementation, only one
FICON switch can be used between a FICON channel and a FICON control
unit adapter. ESCON allows two switches in a path from a channel to a control
unit.
• All FICON switch connections are dynamic. ESCON allows static connections
in a switch.
• FICON channels can have multiple I/O operations concurrently for each
control unit port, even to the same logical control unit. ESCON allows only one
actively communicating I/O operation at a time.
• A FICON channel can receive multiplexed I/O frames from different control
units in a switched point-to-point topology.
• FICON channels support greater link distances than ESCON channels and the
FICON link data droop effect occurs at greater distances than for ESCON.
• Intermixing control unit types with different characteristics like disk and tape
on the same FICON channel does not cause the same communications
lockout impact as can occur on ESCON.
• The channel-to-channel (CTC) function is not initially implemented in FICON
channels. So, CTC connections must use an ESCON (CTC) channel, which
can be connected either to another ESCON (CNC) channel or to a FICON
Bridge (FCV) channel through an ESCON Director with a FICON Bridge card.

11.1 z/Architecture and S/390 FICON channel configuration support

When designing a z/Architecture or S/390 I/O configuration, it is necessary to be
aware of the architecture rules, the processor implementation, the connectivity
topologies supported, the fiber cabling requirements, the connectivity
recommendations, and the performance requirements.

z/Architecture and S/390 ESCON and FICON architectures:

• Pathing rules, for example, up to eight paths to a device
• Maximum specified architected resources

z/Series and S/390 processor resource rules:

• Maximum resources that are implemented (CHPIDs, links, subchannels,
buffer credits)
• Hardware plugging sequence and hardware-assigned CHPID numbers, if
CHPID renumbering is not being used

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 121

 Switches and control units resource rules:
Maximum resources that are implemented (ports, buffer credits per port)

Topologies:
• Point-to-point
• Switched point-to-point

Path availability (multi-path CUs):

• Spread the CU paths between zSeries and S/390 processor channels across
different channel cards.
• Spread CU paths across different switches.
• Spread CU path switch ports across different switch cards.

Performance considerations and expectations:

• Number of paths to a control unit
• Number of control units using the same channel path
• Number of different processor paths using the same destination switch port
• Distances

11.1.1 Design steps

When designing and implementing a FICON channel configuration, the following
sequence of steps must be planned:
1. Configuration design and ordering
• Understand the zSeries and S/390 processor channel resources that are
supported.
• Understand the zSeries and S/390 channel to control unit topologies that
are supported.
• The addressing and connectivity characteristics of the control unit to be
attached.
2. The differences and benefits of a FICON channel connection over an ESCON
channel connection
• Addressing (from 1024 device addresses for ESCON to up to 16,384 for
FICON)
• Reduced number of channels and required fibers with increased bandwidth
and I/O rate per FICON channel
• More I/O concurrency (up to 16 or more) of the FICON channel
• Greater channel and link bandwidth (from 17 MB/s for an ESCON channel
and 20 MB/s for an ESCON link to up to 60 MB/s for the initial
implementation of the FICON channel and 200 MB/s full-duplex for the
FICON link)
• FICON path consolidation using switched point-to-point topology
• Greater unrepeated fiber link distances (from 3 km for ESCON to up to 10
km, or 20 km with an RPQ, for FICON).

122 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 • Performance droop distance extended (from 9 km for ESCON to up to 100
km for FICON)
• Intermixing of CU types with different channel usage characteristics, like
disk and tape, on the same FICON channel
3. Configuration planning
• zSeries and S/390 processor CHPID impact (CHPID numbers and number
of FICON channel per processor)
• Switch port impact, if used (reduced number of FICON ports)
• Installation sequence
• Installation phases
4. Implementation planning
Task list for each customer installation phase
5. Installation tasks
Installation of the IBM zSeries or S/390 processor FICON channels, switches
(if required) and control units with FICON adapters, all of which are required to
follow the IBM installation sequence and the customer installation phases

11.1.2 FICON point-to-point configuration design

FICON point-to-point configurations are implemented via connections between a
FICON channel in the zSeries or S/390 server and FICON ports in the control unit
without a switch in the path.

11.1.2.1 ESCON point-to-point configuration

Figure 85 shows a typical ESCON point-to-point configuration, which is used as a
base to be compared to a FICON point-to-point configuration.

zSeries or S/390 Processor

ESCON (CNC) Channels

81 85 A1 A5 15 19 21 25

8 concurrent
ESCON Links I/O operations
(1 per channel)

ESCON Adapters ESCON Adapters

8 concurrent
Disk CU CU 1000 CU 1001 I/O operations
(CU-dependent)
(1 Logical CU) Storage Cluster 0 Storage Cluster 1

Disk
Devices

Figure 85. ESCON point-to-point configuration

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 123

 For maximum I/O concurrency to a multipath control unit, it is recommended that
the number of paths from a processor image that are defined to access (and be
configured to) a control unit and device be equal to the maximum number of
concurrent I/O operations that the control unit can sustain. The z/Architecture and
S/390 architecture provide for a maximum of eight paths from a processor image
to a control unit image.

Figure 85 on page 123 shows:

• The need to determine from the control unit vendor the maximum number of
concurrent I/O operations that are supported by the physical control unit
Also determine if the physical control unit supports one or more logical control
units (CUADD - CU addressing). The control unit vendor should be asked to
provide all the control unit addressing and connectivity characteristics, as
these affect how the control unit can be configured in a zSeries and S/390
environment.
• The number of ESCON interfaces that the control unit supports
• The connection of channel paths from a single processor image (these can be
shared if the control unit supports shared channel paths) to up to eight
interfaces on a multi-interface control unit
Most ESCON-interfaced control units support shared channels.
• The use of eight ESCON channels

The ESCON configuration shown in Figure 85 on page 123 has the following I/O
concurrency:
• Eight concurrent I/O operations are supported by the control unit.
• Eight control unit ESCON interfaces are used and these in total support eight
concurrent I/O operations.
• Eight ESCON channels are used and these in total support eight concurrent
I/O operations. Note that an ESCON channel can do only one I/O operation at
a time.

11.1.2.2 FICON point-to-point configuration

The FICON point-to-point configuration shown in Figure 86 on page 125 is based
on the previous ESCON point-to-point configuration.

124 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 zSeries or S/390 Processor
FICON Channels
F8 FC F0 E8 F8 EC E0 D8

multiple concurrent
FICON Links I/O operations
(can be up to 16 or more
per channel)

multiple concurrent
FICON Adapters FICON Adapters I/O operations
(CU-dependent)
Disk CU CU 1000
Storage Cluster 0 Storage Cluster 1

Disk
Devices

Figure 86. FICON point-to-point configuration

With the same number of processor channels (eight) and control unit adapters
(eight), the I/O concurrency can be higher. Because one FICON channel is
capable of doing up to 16 or more I/O operations at a time, even for the same
logical control unit, now the same configuration has the capability of producing
more concurrent I/Os, using a higher bandwidth. The number of concurrent I/O
operations depends on the control unit characteristics.

The control unit vendor should be asked to provide all the control unit addressing
and connectivity characteristics, as these affect how the control unit can be
configured in a S/390 environment.

So, if the control unit and its adapters can do multiple I/O operations concurrently:
• For the same I/O workload and throughput, fewer FICON channels and control
unit adapters are required.
• Using the same number of resources (channels and adapters), a higher I/O
workload and throughput can be sustained.

FICON channels can be shared between logical partitions, so multiple images

running in the same zSeries or S/390 processor can use the same FICON
channel simultaneously. This function is even more valuable in this environment
as FICON channels have the capability of doing multiple I/O operations
simultaneously. FICON-interfaced control units should support shared channels.

11.1.3 FICON switched point-to-point configuration design

FICON channels implement the switched point-to-point topology by using FICON
switches (F_Ports) to connect FICON channels (N_Ports) to control unit FICON
adapters (N_Ports). These connections are established as the server FICON
channel Login Link Service FLOGI discovers that its N_Port is connected to a
F_Port (switch port) and the control unit FICON port Login Link Service, FLOGI,

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 125

 discovers that its N_Port is also connected to an F_Port (switch port). For more
details, see Chapter 3, “FICON architecture” on page 17.

This topology allows a much more flexible and dynamic environment and is
required to exploit the I/O frame multiplexing capability of FICON channels.

All FICON switch connections are dynamic. So static connections, which are
possible in an ESCON Director, are not supported in a FICON Director.

FICON protocol initially keeps its channel-to-CU path definition approach, which
provides controlled access. It does not use a fabric port address discovery
(N_Port) approach and requires a known fabric port address, which is the switch
destination port.

Initially, FICON switched point-to-point topology does not implement switch

cascading. Switch cascading is a switched point-to-point configuration with more
than one dynamic connection in the path. Note that ESCON switched
point-to-point configurations also do not support switch cascading, as one of the
two possible switch connections must be static. This is a switch chaining
configuration and there is no connectivity benefit other than distance extension
for ESCON devices. FICON channels do not require any repeater or switch to
reach up to 10 km (20 km with RPQ). So initially, only one FICON switch can be
used between a FICON channel and a FICON control unit adapter.

11.1.3.1 zArchitecture and S/390 channel architecture rules

When designing a zSeries or S/390 I/O configuration, it is necessary to be aware
of both the architecture and processor rules and recommendations.

The zSeries and S/390 processor channel path to control unit configuration
architecture rules include:
• A logical CU and device cannot be accessed more than once from the same
channel path (CHPID). This applies to both ESCON (CNC) channels and
FICON channels.
• A physical control unit that has multiple logical control units (uses CUADD
addressing) may be accessed more than once from the same FICON channel
path, but to different logical control units (different CUADDs) within the
physical control unit subsystem.

126 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 zSeries or S/390 Processor
FICON or ESCON Channels
FC

Invalid configuration -
violating CU/device
single channel path to CU rule
SW 1
00 0F

08 0C

CU 1000
Storage Cluster 0 Storage Cluster 1

Figure 87. Invalid I/O configuration

Figure 87 shows an invalid configuration example. It violates the single channel

path to a logical control unit rule.

ESCON switched point-to-point configuration

The typical ESCON switched point-to-point configuration, shown in Figure 88 on
page 128, is used as a base to be compared to the FICON switched point-to-point
configuration.

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 127

 zSeries or S/390 Processor
ESCON (CNC) Channels
81 85 A1 A5 15 19 21 25

ESCON Links 8 concurrent

0B I/O operations
0B 36 0B 36 0B 36
36 (1 per channel)
ESCON Ports SW-1 SW-2 SW-3 SW-4

A3 C3 A3 C3 A3 C3 A3 C3
ESCON Links 8 concurrent
I/O operations
ESCON Adapters ESCON Adapters
8 concurrent
Disk CU 1000 CU 1001 I/O operations
CU Storage Cluster 0 Storage Cluster 1
(CU-dependent)

Disk
Devices

Figure 88. ESCON switched point-to-point configuration with eight paths

For maximum I/O concurrency to a multipath control unit, it is recommended that

the number of paths from a processor image that are defined to access (and be
configured) to a control unit or device is equal to the maximum number of
concurrent I/O operations that the control unit can sustain. The zArchitecture and
S/390 architecture support a maximum of eight paths from a processor image to a
logical control unit.

Figure 88 shows:
• The need to determine from the control unit vendor the maximum number of
concurrent I/O operations that are supported by the physical control unit. Also
determine whether the physical control unit supports one or more logical
control units (CUADD - CU addressing). The control unit vendor should be
asked to provide all the control unit addressing and connectivity
characteristics, as these affect how the control unit can be configured into a
S/390 environment.
• The number of ESCON interfaces that the control unit supports.
• The connection of channel paths from a single processor image (these can be
shared if the control unit supports shared channel paths) to up to eight
interfaces on a multi-interface control unit.
Most ESCON-interfaced control units support connection to shared channels.
• The use of eight ESCON channels.

The ESCON configuration shown in Figure 88 has the following I/O concurrency:
• Eight concurrent I/O operations are supported by the control unit.
• Eight control unit ESCON interfaces are used and these in total will support
eight concurrent I/O operations.

128 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 • Eight ESCON channels are used and these in total will support eight
concurrent I/O operations. Note that an ESCON channel can do only one I/O
operation at a time.

Figure 89 shows the connectivity for a single ESCON channel. This channel uses
dynamic connections in the ESCON Director, which provide access to this control
unit and others. But this single ESCON channel can address up to only 1024
devices and can have only one I/O operation at a time.

zSeries or S/390 Processor

ESCON (CNC) Channels
81 85 A1 A5 15 19 21 25

1 I/O operation
(addressing up to
36 1024 devices)
ESCON Links ESCD
1 I/O operation
C3 (addressing up to
1024 devices)

ESCON Adapters ESCON Adapters

Disk CU 1000 CU 1001
CU
Storage Cluster 0 Storage Cluster 1

Disk
Devices

Figure 89. Single ESCON channel I/O concurrency

The ESCON adapter of this control unit can address up to 1024 devices and this
ESCON link supports only one I/O operation at a time.

FICON Bridge (FCV) control unit configuration

This FICON Bridge (FCV) configuration is based on the previous ESCON
point-to-point configuration, and it will be compared to the FICON switched
point-to-point configuration.

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 129

 zSeries or S/390 Processor
FICON Bridge (FCV) Channels
FC FE FD FF F9 FB F8 FA
8 FICON channels
FICON Links are capable of
64 concurrent
FICON Bridge 0C 4C 0C 4C 0C 4C 0C 4C I/O operations.
Cards Concurrent
SW-1 SW-2 SW-3 SW-4 operations
to other CUs.
Eight for each
A3 C3 A3 C3 A3 C3 A3 C3 FICON channel.
ESCON Links
8 concurrent
ESCON Adapters ESCON Adapters I/O operations,
x1 per interface.
Disk CU 1000 CU 1001 8 concurrent
CU I/O operations
Storage Cluster 0 Storage Cluster 1 (CU-dependent).

Disk
Devices

Figure 90. FICON Bridge (FCV) channel configuration - eight paths

The FICON Bridge (FCV) configuration shown in Figure 90 has the following I/O
concurrency:
• Eight concurrent I/O operations are supported by the control unit.
• Eight control unit ESCON interfaces are used and these in total support eight
concurrent I/O operations.
• Eight FICON Bridge (FCV) channels are used and these support 64
concurrent I/O operations in total. Eight of these concurrent I/O operations are
to the two control units numbered 1000 and 1001 (which make up one IOCP
logical control unit), and 56 of the 64 possible concurrent I/O operations are to
other control units.

FICON Bridge (FCV) channels can also be shared, so multiple images running in
the same processor can use the same FICON Bridge (FCV) channel
simultaneously. ESCON-interfaced control units should support the connection of
shared channels.

Figure 91 on page 131 shows the connectivity for a single FICON Bridge (FCV)
channel. This channel can use a dynamic connection in the ESCON Director, via
the FICON Bridge card, which provides access to up to eight control units. So this
single FICON Bridge (FCV) channel can address up to 16,384 devices and can
support up to eight I/O operations at a time.

130 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 zSeries or S/390 Processor
FICON Bridge (FCV) Channels
FC FE FD FF F9 FB F8 FA
up to 8 concurrent
FICON Link I/O operations
4C (addressing up to
16384 devices)

ESCD up to 7 other
control units

C3
1 I/O operation
ESCON Link (addressing up to
4096 devices)

ESCON Adapters ESCON Adapters

Disk CU 1000 CU 1001
CU
Storage Cluster 0 Storage Cluster 1

Disk
Devices

Figure 91. Single FICON Bridge (FCV) channel I/O concurrency

The ESCON adapter of this control unit can address up to 4,096 devices, and this
ESCON link can have only one I/O operation at a time.

FICON switched point-to-point configuration

This FICON switched point-to-point configuration (Figure 92 on page 131) is
based on the previous ESCON switched point-to-point and FICON Bridge (FCV)
configurations.

zSeries or S/390 Processor

FICON (FC) Channels
FC FE FD FF F9 FB F8 FA
FICON channels
FICON Links are capable of
multiple concurrent
05 10 05 10 05 10 05 10 I/O operations.
SW-1 SW-3 Concurrent
FICON Ports
operations
SW-2 SW-4 to other CUs.
08 18 08 18 08 18 08 18
FICON Links multiple concurrent
I/O operations per
FICON Adapters FICON Adapters adapter.
Disk CU-dependent
CU 1000 to CU 1F00
CU concurrent
I/O operations
Cluster 1 Cluster 2

Disk
Devices

Figure 92. FICON switched point-to-point channel configuration with eight paths

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 131

 With the same number of processor channels (eight), switch ports (four at each)
and control unit adapters (eight), the I/O concurrency can be higher than for the
ESCON switched point-to-point configuration. The FICON channel is capable of
up to 16 or more concurrent I/O operations.

Because one FICON channel is capable of doing more than one I/O operation at
a time, even for the same logical control unit, now the same configuration has the
capability of producing more concurrent I/Os, using a higher bandwidth.

This configuration also exploits the I/O frame multiplexing capability of FICON
channels, which is shown by the SW-4 switch in Figure 92 on page 131. The
FICON channel CHPID FA can send and receive intermixed sequence-frames to
and from multiple control units.

Note that FICON channels do not limit the maximum concurrent I/Os to eight per
channel as a FICON Bridge FCV channel does, and that one control unit FICON
adapter can also do multiple I/O operations at a time, even for the same logical
control unit (FICON Bridge FCV uses ESCON links to the control unit, meaning
only one I/O operation at a time).

The number of concurrent I/O operations depends on the control unit

characteristics. So, if the control unit and its adapters can do multiple I/O
operations concurrently:
• For the same I/O workload and throughput, fewer FICON channels, control
unit adapters and switch ports are required.
• Using the same number of resources (channels and control unit adapters), a
higher I/O workload and throughput can be sustained.

FICON channels can also be shared so multiple images running on the same
processor can use the same FICON channel simultaneously. This function is
even more beneficial in this environment as FICON channels have the capability
of doing multiple I/O operations simultaneously. FICON-interfaced control units
should support connections to shared channels.

Figure 93 on page 133 shows the connectivity for a single FICON channel. This
channel uses a dynamic connection in the FICON switch, which provides access
to this control units and others. So this single FICON channel can have I/O
operations to many logical control units at the same time by using the FICON
protocol frame multiplexing. This FICON channel can address up to 16,384
devices.

132 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 zSeries or S/390 Processor
FICON (FC) Channels
FC FE FD FF F9 FB F8 FA
multiple concurrent
I/O operations to
many control units
(addressing up to
10 16384 devices)
to other
FICON Links SW control units
multiple concurrent
18 I/O operations
(addressing up to
16384 devices;
FICON Adapters FICON Adapters control unit
Disk dependent)

CU CU 1000 to CU 1F00
Cluster 1 Cluster 2

Disk
Devices

Figure 93. Single FICON channel I/O concurrency

The FICON adapter of this control unit can address up to 16,384 devices (control
unit dependent) and this FC link can have multiple concurrent I/O operations.

FICON’s CCW and data prefetching and pipelining, and frame multiplexing also
allow multiple I/O operations to the same logical control unit. As a result, multiple
I/O operations can be done concurrently to any logical control unit, even within
the same control unit. By using IBM ESS’s Parallel Access Volumes (PAV)
function, multiple I/O operations are possible even to the same volume.

11.1.4 FICON design awareness areas

When designing a FICON channel to control unit configuration, the following
considerations apply:
• zSeries and S/390 processor resources and packaging
• FICON switch resources and packaging
• Connection recommendations:
Number of paths to support the required number of concurrent I/O operations
from a processor to a control unit.
• Fiber cabling requirement (see Chapter 12, “FICON - Fibre Channel cabling”
on page 153 for more details):
Generally long wavelength laser single-mode 9 micron fibers are used for
FICON optical links, which support up to 10 km (20 km with an RPQ)
unrepeated distances, or up to 100 km with repeaters.
Switches and control units may have shorter distance limitations.
• Pathing rules:

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 133

 Only define the access to a logical control unit once on any given channel (this
is a z/Architecture and S/390 architecture rule).
• Control unit characteristics:
• Addressing - logical control units (CUADD) and devices
• Logical paths
• Concurrent I/O

zSeries or Processor Resources and Packaging Awareness

S/390 FICON (FC) Channels
Processor FC FE FD FF F9 FB F8 FA FC Ports

FICON I/O Concurrency and Channel path Groups

Links
Fiber Cabling Requirement FC Ports
FICON
SW-1 SW-2 SW-3 SW-4 concurrent I/O
Connection paths to other
FC-Switch Pathing
CUs
Awareness Rules Topology
FICON
Links FC Ports

Disk CU CU Characteristics
1 to 16 CU 1000 to CU 1F00
Logical CUs
Cluster 1 Cluster 2

Disk
Devices

Figure 94. FICON system design awareness areas

Figure 94 shows the system’s “awareness areas” required when designing

connectivity from a zSeries or S/390 processor to a FICON-capable control unit.

134 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

11.1.5 S/390 Architecture, FICON and ESCON implementations
As shown in Figure 20, not all ESCON Architecture maximum limits are
implemented.
Table 20. zArchitecture and implementation

zArchitecure zArchitecture zArchitecture zArchitecture

ESCON ESCON FICON Bridge (FCV) FICON Native (FC)
Architecture Implementation Implementation Implementation
# CHPIDs by type per CEC - G5 G5 - 24 G5 - 24
# CHPIDs by type per CEC - G6 256 256 G6 - 36 G6 - 36
# CHPIDs by type per CEC - z900 z900 - 96 z900 - 96

# CU links per channel 253 1-120 1-240 32 / 64 / 128

# Control unit images (CUADD) per

16 16 16 255 / 256
channel/control unit link
# Control units per channel 4,048 120 255 / 256 255 / 256
# Device addresses per control unit
256 256 256 256
image (per CUADD)
16,384
# Device addresses per control unit link 4,096 1,024 4,096
(Current CUs 4,096)
# Device addresses per channel 64 K 1,024 16,384 16,384
# S/390 Subchannels (G5/G6/z900) 64 K
Total for a CPC 80K / 288K / 512K 80K / 288K / 512K 288 K / 512 K
Maximum for an LPAR 36 K / 63 K 36 K / 63 K 36 K / 63 K
Distances
550m, 50/62.5um fiber 550m - 50/62.5 um Fiber
2 km - 50 um Fiber
10 km - 9 um Fiber 10 km - 9 um Fiber
3 km - 62. um Fiber
20 km - 9 um (RPQ) 20 km - 9 um (RPQ)
Maximum distances with repeaters are 60 to 100 km Max
100 km tested Max 100 km tested Max
CU-dependent (With Repeaters)
(With Repeaters) (With Repeaters)

Date transfer droop distance 9 km 100 km 100 km

In ESCON architecture, up to 253 control unit links per channel can be defined,
but only up to 120 are implemented on ESCON, only up to 240 on FICON Bridge
(FCV), and only up to 128 on FICON native (FC). The implementation is
processor dependent.

The most important constraints relieved in the FICON implementation are:

• The maximum number of control unit images (CUADD) per channel and per
control unit link goes from 16 on ESCON and FICON Bridge (FCV)
implementations to 256 on FICON Native (FC) implementation (processor
dependent).
• The maximum number of control units per channel goes from 120 on ESCON
implementation to 256 on FICON Bridge (FCV) and FICON Native (FC)
implementations (processor dependent).
• The maximum number of device addresses per control unit link goes from
1,024 on ESCON implementation to 16,384 on FICON Native (FC)
implementation (current control units are implementing up to 4,096 device
addresses per control unit link).
• The maximum number of device addresses per channel goes from 1,024 on
ESCON implementation to 16,384 on FICON Native (FC) implementation.

11.1.6 FICON channel to control unit characteristics

The control unit vendor must provide all the control unit addressing and
connectivity characteristics, as these affect how the control unit can be
configured in a FICON environment. The control unit vendor should also provide
connectivity recommendations to allow the full exploitation of the control unit
capability in a FICON environment.

The following items are dependent on the control unit characteristics:

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 135

 • Number of installed FICON adapters at the control unit
• Number of logical paths supported by the control unit at each FICON adapter
• Number of logical paths supported by the control unit, when there is only one
control unit function within the physical control unit
• Number of logical paths supported by each logical control unit within a
physical control unit
• Number of logical control units supported and the LCU address for each LCU
• Number of concurrent I/O transfers per physical control unit
• Number of concurrent I/O transfers per logical control unit
• Number of devices and device unit addresses (UAs) supported per logical
control unit
Some devices may be supported by more than one unit address (UA), each
device unit address being supported by a different device number (this is the
case for the IBM ESS control unit that supports Base and Alias device
addresses). This function is known as Parallel Access Volumes (PAV).
• For each LCU, the base device unit address (UA) and address range per LCU

11.2 FICON and ESCON channel connectivity differences

Channel to control unit connectivity is different for FICON channels than it is for
ESCON (CNC) channels and for FICON Bridge (FCV) channels to the same
control unit. The main differences are:
• One FICON channel can be used for multiple concurrent I/O transfers from the
same physical control unit and even for the same logical control unit.
• One FICON Bridge (FCV) channel can be used for up to eight concurrent I/O
transfers from the same physical control unit, where each transfer is from a
device in a different logical control unit.
• One ESCON (CNC) channel path can be used for only one I/O transfer at a
time.

The net effect of these differences is shown in the configuration diagrams in

Figure 95 on page 137, Figure 96 on page 138, and Figure 97 on page 139,
where the physical control unit has two or more logical control units. The
diagrams for each configuration show the total number of:
• Concurrent I/O transfers for all the channel paths shown in the diagram
• Concurrent I/O transfers for the physical control unit
• Concurrent I/O transfers for a logical control unit (LCU)

An even greater advantage of FICON over ESCON channel connectivity occurs

when there are few FICON channels to remote sites, or for local sites when a
control unit can support more than eight concurrent I/O operations, for example,
the IBM ESS 2105.

136 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

11.2.1 ESCON (CNC) channel connectivity to LCUs

zSeries or S/390 Processor How many concurrent I/Os:

ESCON channels total
ESCON (CNC) Channels
Physical CU total
80 88 A0 A8 10 18 20 28 Max per LCU (CUADD)
ESCON CU links total
Actual concurrent
I/O operations
0A 3A 0A 3A 0A 3A 3A CHANs CU LCU
0A
8 8 8
SW-1 SW-2
SW-3 SW-4
A3 C3 A3 C3 A3 C3 A3 C3 Actual concurrent
I/O operations
8
CU 1000 Disk Devices CU 1001 CU concurrent
(CUADD 0) 1000 - 10FF (CUADD 0)
I/O capability
(CU-dependent)
CU 1100 Disk Devices CU 1101
(CUADD 1) 1100 - 11FF (CUADD 1) 8

CU 1200 Disk Devices CU 1201

(CUADD 2) 1200 - 12FF (CUADD 2) LCU concurrent
I/O capability
CU 1300 Disk Devices CU 1301 (CU-dependent)
(CUADD 3) 1300 - 13FF (CUADD 3) 8

Figure 95. ESCON (CNC) channel configuration - 8 channel paths to 4 LCUs

The ESCON configuration shown in Figure 95 has the following I/O concurrency:
• Each of the eight ESCON paths can address all four of the logical control units
shown in the configuration. This is the ESCON maximum addressability; an
ESCON path can have up to 1024 device addresses (4 x 256 = 1024).
• Eight concurrent I/O operations are supported by any one of the four logical
control units.
Only eight concurrent I/O operations in total are supported by the physical
control unit (this is the I/O concurrency characteristic of the control unit shown
in this example).
• Eight control unit ESCON interfaces are used and these in total support eight
concurrent I/O operations.
• Eight ESCON channels are used and these in total support eight concurrent
I/O operations.

11.2.2 FICON Bridge (FCV) channel connectivity to LCUs

In a FICON Bridge (FCV) environment, the minimum number of recommended
FICON Bridge (FCV) mode paths required to support an ESCON interface logical
control unit should be equal to the maximum number of current I/O transfers that
the ESCON logical control unit can perform on its ESCON interfaces. This
provides for the maximum exploitation of concurrent I/O operations to any logical
control unit.

It is possible to install and define more than eight paths to any physical control
unit (from the same S/390 processor image) when the physical control unit has
two or more logical control units. A maximum of only eight channel paths may be
defined to any one logical control unit. This approach can be used for physical

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 137

 control units that support greater than eight concurrent I/O transfers and where
there is a customer requirement for a high I/O rate when using ESCON channels.

zSeries or S/390 Processor How many concurrent

FICON Bridge (FCV) Channels I/Os:
FICON channels total
FC FE FD F4 F9 F0 F8 FA Physical CU total
Max per LCU (CUADD)
ESCON CU links total
Actual concurrent
I/O operations
0C 4C 0C 4C 0C 4C 0C 4C
CHANs CU LCU
SW-1 SW-2 SW-3 SW-4 64 8 8

A3 C3 A3 C3 A3 C3 A3 C3 Actual concurrent
I/O operations
8
CU 1000 Disk Devices CU 1001 CU concurrent
(CUADD 0) 1000 - 10FF (CUADD 0) I/O capability
(CU-dependent)
CU 1100 Disk Devices CU 1101 8
(CUADD 1) 1100 - 11FF (CUADD 1)

CU 1200 Disk Devices CU 1201

(CUADD 2) 1200 - 12FF (CUADD 2) LCU concurrent
I/O capability
CU 1300 Disk Devices CU 1301 (CU-dependent)
(CUADD 3) 1300 - 13FF (CUADD 3) 8

Figure 96. FICON Bridge (FCV) channel configuration - 8 channel paths to 4 LCUs

The FICON Bridge (FCV) configuration shown in Figure 96 has the following I/O
concurrency:
• The exploitation of the possible I/O concurrency is dependent on the control
unit characteristics. When a control unit supports more than eight concurrent
I/O operations and the physical control unit has multiple logical control units, it
would take more than eight ESCON channels to take advantage of this. It
would take only eight FICON Bridge (FCV) channels to exploit this greater I/O
concurrency (up to a limit of 64 concurrent I/O operations to the one physical
control unit by the eight FICON Bridge (FCV) channels). A later example
shows the exploitation by using fewer FICON Bridge (FCV) channels.
• Each of the eight FICON Bridge (FCV) paths are used to address all four
logical control units.
• Eight concurrent I/O operations are supported by any one of the four logical
control units.
Only eight concurrent I/O operations in total are supported by the physical
control unit (this is an I/O concurrency characteristic of the control unit shown
in this example).
• Eight control unit ESCON interfaces are used and these in total support eight
concurrent I/O operations.
• Eight FICON Bridge (FCV) channels are used and these support 64
concurrent I/O operations in total. Eight of these concurrent I/O operations can
be to any of the defined (and configured) logical control units shown in
Figure 96, and 56 of the 64 possible concurrent I/O operations may be to other
control units.

138 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

11.2.3 FICON channel connectivity to LCUs
It is possible to install and define more than eight paths to any physical CU (from
the same zSeries or S/390 processor image) when the physical control unit has
two or more logical control units. A maximum of only eight channel paths may be
defined to any one logical control unit. This approach can be used for physical
control units that support greater than eight concurrent I/O transfers and that
have a customer requirement for a high I/O rate when using ESCON channels.

The advantage in FICON operation is the capacity for multiple concurrent I/O
operations on FICON channels and on FICON adapters, allowing a much higher
I/O concurrency:
• A single FICON channel can have I/O operations to multiple logical control
units at the same time, by using the FICON protocol frame multiplexing.
• FICON’s CCW and data prefetching and pipelining, and protocol frame
multiplexing also allows multiple I/O operations to the same logical control
unit. As a result, multiple I/O operations can be done concurrently to any
logical control unit, even within the same control unit. By using IBM ESS’s
Parallel Access Volumes (PAV) function, multiple I/O operations are possible
even to the same volume.

zSeries or S/390 Processor How many concurrent I/Os:

FICON channels total
FICON (FC) Channels
Physical CU total
FC FE FD F4 F9 F0 F8 FA Max per LCU (CUADD)
FICCON CU links total
0C 10 0C 10 0C 10 0C 10
Actual concurrent
SW-1 SW-2 SW-3 SW-4
I/O operations
CHANs CU LCU
08 1F 08 1F 08 1F 08 1F
16 or more multiple 8+

CU 2000 Disk 2000-20xx (LCU 0) Actual concurrent

I/O Operations
CU 2100 Disk 2100-21xx (LCU 1) multiple
CU 2200 Disk 2200-22xx (LCU 2)
CU concurrent
CU 2300 Disk 2300-23xx (LCU 3) I/O capability
CU 2400 Disk 2400-24xx (LCU 4) (CU-dependent)
multiple
CU 2500 Disk 2500-25xx (LCU 5)
CU 2600 Disk 2600-26xx (LCU 6) LCU concurrent
I/O capability
CU 2700 Disk 2700-27xx (LCU 7) (CU-dependent)
8+

Figure 97. FICON channel configuration - 8 channel paths to 8 LCUs

The FICON configuration shown in Figure 97, using the IBM ESS (2105) as an
example, has the following I/O concurrency:
• The exploitation of the I/O concurrency is dependent on the control unit
characteristics. When a control unit supports more than eight concurrent I/O
operations and the physical control unit has multiple logical control units, more
than eight ESCON channels would be required to take advantage of this. It
takes fewer FICON channels to exploit this greater I/O concurrency.
• Each of the eight FICON paths are used to address all eight logical control
units. This is possible because each FICON path can address up to 16,384
device addresses.

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 139

 • Multiple (more than eight) concurrent I/O operations are supported by each
one of the eight logical control units (this I/O concurrency depends on the
control unit characteristics).
• Eight control unit FICON adapters are used and each one supports multiple
concurrent I/O operations (this I/O concurrency depends on the control unit
characteristics).
• Eight FICON channels are used and each one supports multiple - up to 16 or
more - concurrent I/O operations.

11.3 ESCON and FICON connectivity intermix

Intermixing ESCON (CNC) channels and FICON native (FCV) channels to the
same CU from the same operating system image is supported as a transitional
step for migration only.

Access to any ESCON interface control unit from a processor image may be from
ESCON and/or FICON Bridge (FCV) channels. Intermixing ESCON (CNC)
channels, FICON Bridge (FCV) channels and FICON native (FC) channels to the
same control unit from the same processor image is also supported, either using
point-to-point, switched point-to-point or both. IBM recommends that FICON
native (FC) channel paths only be mixed with CNC and FCV channel paths to
ease migration from ESCON channels to FICON channels using dynamic I/O
configuration.

The coexistence is very useful during the transition period from ESCON to FICON
channels. The mixture allows you to dynamically add FICON native channel
paths to a control unit while keeping its devices operational. A second dynamic
I/O configuration change can then remove the CNC and FCV channels while
keeping devices operational. The mixing of FICON native channel paths with
CNC and FCV channel paths should only be for the duration of the migration to
FICON.

The degree of intermix is installation-dependent and control unit-dependent:

In the case where a control unit can support more than eight concurrent I/O
transfers, more than eight ESCON (CNC) paths would be required to exploit this,
but it would require only eight FICON Bridge (FCV) paths and probably fewer
FICON (FC) paths.

140 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 zSeries or S/390 Processor
ESCON
FC FC FC FC CNC FCV CNC FCV Directors
FC FE E0 E8 10 F0 20 FA with
FICON
Bridge
Cards

FICON
05 0C
Switch 0B 0B 0C
0C
to other to other ESCON to other
FICON FICON ESCON
Director Adapters
Adapters Adapters
08 10 A3 C3 A3 C3 ESCON
FICON ESCON
Adapters Adapters Director

CU 1000 Disk Devices CU 1001

(CUADD 0) 1000 - 10FF (CUADD 0)

CU 1100 Disk Devices CU 1101

(CUADD 1) 1100 - 11FF (CUADD 1)

CU 1200 Disk Devices CU 1201

(CUADD 2) 1200 - 12FF (CUADD 2)

CU 1300 Disk Devices CU 1301

(CUADD 3) 1300 - 13FF (CUADD 3)

Figure 98. Intermixing CNC, FCV and FC channel paths

Figure 98 shows two ESCON channel paths, two FICON Bridge (FCV) channel
paths and four FICON native (FC) channel paths from the same operating system
image to the same control unit images.

11.4 Remote site connections and distances

Connecting a processor in one site to control units at another site can be
expensive due to the cost of the fiber cables that connect the two sites. This may
be a factor in the customer deciding to use fewer fiber connections (fewer
channels) between the two sites, that is, between the processor and control units.

Using fewer ESCON (CNC) channel connections than the supported I/O
concurrency of the control unit means that the I/O concurrency achieved between
the processor and the control unit drops. It would be equal to up to the number of
channel path connections.

FICON channels potentially reduce the number of required channels, while still
providing the required bandwidth and I/O concurrency.

Another benefit of FICON channels is their ability to reach long distances, which
is very useful for remote site connections.

FICON channels can go up to 10 km with no repeaters (or 20 km via an RPQ) or

up to 100 km using repeaters. Note that distances actually mean fiber lengths.

Also important is that FICON channels can go up to 100 km before the effect of
data droop. ESCON channels are affected by data droop at 9 km.

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 141

 The IBM Fiber Saver (2029) supports FICON links, so it can be used as a
repeater, not only to extend distances but also to multiplex many channels into
two fiber pairs.

FICON (FC-SB-2)
Fibre Channel
FC Switch
Matching Matching Fabric
LP1 LW or SW LW or SW Matching
FOSAs FOSAs LW or SW
OS/390 FOSAs
Fiber Single FC Switch
Optical Extenders
LP2 FICON Link Optical Link FC Optical Link FICON
OS/390 Channel Fiber Cable Switch Fiber Cable CU/Device
N_Port F_Port F_Port N_Port
2029 OCI
adapters
LP3 Buffer Buffer Buffer Buffer
OS/390 Credits Credits Credits Credits

FOSA
The IBM 2029 supports OCI optical link Optical link distance of
FC distances of up to 500 meters up to 10 km supported
N_Port
FC
F_Port Total supported distance of up to approx 100
km, requires an x_Port buffer credit of 64

IBM supports a total end-to-end distance of up to 100 km for FC-SB-2

Figure 99. FICON channel path through an extender to a remote device

The FICON switched point-to-point configuration shown in Figure 99 illustrates all

links used by the FICON channel path to a device, through fiber extenders and a
single switch. Usually the FICON switch is located at the remote location, so the
fiber extenders are placed between the CPC and the switch. (A more generic
recommendation is to place the switch at the location which has more
connections.)

Any FC link reaches up to 100 km, but the end-to-end distance (processor to
control unit) cannot exceed 100 km. To achieve that distance:
• Fiber extenders must be used, as the FICON optical links can operate up to 10
km, or up to 20 km via RPQ, with no repeaters.
• For the FC link from the FICON channel to the FICON switch, both FICON
channel and switch port should have enough buffer credits to avoid
performance degradation at the link distance.
• For the FC link from the FICON switch port to the control unit FICON adapter,
both the FICON channel and theFICON switch port should have enough buffer
credits to avoid performance degradation at the link distance.

11.4.1 Remote site connections using ESCON channels

In Figure 100 on page 143, Figure 101 on page 143, and Figure 102 on page 144
remote site scenarios using ESCON configurations are shown as examples for
comparison with FICON configurations.

Note that ESCON channels start having data droop effect at 9 km, so the
effective bandwidth is dramatically reduced after this distance.

142 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Multi-mode
Multi-mode
ESCON links
ESCON links
(up to 3 km)
(up to 3 km)
CEC 1 CU 1
n
links n
links

ESCD

n
n links
links
CEC 2 CU 2

Site 1 up to 3 km
Site 2
(Control unit dependent)

Figure 100. Remote site with ESCON channels - ESCD at remote site

Figure 100 shows a remote site with two control units accessed by two CECs
from the primary site, all connected via an ESCON Director at the remote site.

In this case the maximum distance between both sites is 3 km (device

dependent), and requires a fiber pair for each ESCON channel.

Multi-mode
ESCON links
Multi-mode (up to 3 km) Multi-mode
ESCON links ESCON links
or
(up to 3 km) (up to 3 km)
CEC 1 Single-mode CU 1
n ESCON XDF links n
links (up to 20 km) links

ESCD ESCD
n
1 2
links
n
n
links
links

CEC 2 CU 2

Site 1 Site 2
up to 20 km
(Control unit dependent)

Figure 101. Remote site with ESCON channels - ESCDs at both sites

Figure 101 shows a remote site with two control units accessed by two CECs
from the primary site through two ESCON Directors, one at each site. This design
allows a greater distance between sites, as ESCON XDF ports can be used on

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 143

 both ESCON Directors. Using single-mode fibers, ESCON XDF links can go up to
20 km.

In this scenario, the maximum distance between both sites is 20 km (device

dependent), and requires a fiber pair for each port connection between both
ESCON Directors.

Multi-mode
Multi-mode
ESCON links
ESCON links
(up to 3 km)
(up to 3 km)
CEC 1 CU 1
n
links n
2 2 links
0 0 ESCD
2 2 single-mode 2 2
9 fiber pairs 9
n
links
n
n
CEC 2 links CU 2
links

Site 1 Site 2
up to 50 km
(Control unit dependent)

Figure 102. Remote site with ESCON channels using 2029s

Figure 102 shows a remote site with two control units accessed by two CECs
from the primary site through one ESCON Director, using fiber extenders (IBM
Fiber Saver - 2029). This design allows even a greater distance between sites, as
the 2029s can extend and multiplex ESCON channels.

In this case, the maximum distance between sites is 50 km (device dependent),

and requires only two fiber pairs between both sites. However, most ESCON
devices support only up to 43 km and the bandwidth at this distance is reduced
by the data droop effect.

11.4.2 Remote site connections using FICON channels

This section contains sample configuration scenarios, based on the previous
ESCON configurations, showing how FICON channels can help in remote site
connections:
• Fewer FICON channels are required for the same workload and throughput.
• Distances increase to up to 10 km (20 km with an RPQ) with no repeaters, or
up to 100 km with repeaters. All these distances are control unit and device
dependent.
• FICON channels have increased distance (up to 100km) before the data droop
effect, which means that the bandwidth can be sustained at this distance.
However, the involved FICON ports (N_Ports and F_Ports) must have at least
60 buffer credits to achieve that distance with no performance degradation.

144 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Single-mode
FICON links
(up to 10 km,
FICON links
CEC 1 20 km with RPQ) CU 1
n
links n
links

Switch

n
n
links
links
CEC 2 CU 2

Site 1 Site 2
up to 10 km
(or 20 km with RPQ)
(Control unit dependent)

Figure 103. Remote site with FICON channels - switch at remote site

Figure 103 shows a remote site with two control units accessed by two CECs
from the primary site, all connected via a FICON switch at the remote site. In this
case, the maximum distance between both sites is 10 km, or 20 km with an RPQ
(device dependent), and requires fewer FICON channels (and fiber pairs).

FICON links
FICON links
CEC 1 CU 1
n
links n
2 2 links
0 0 Switch
2 2 singlemode 2
9 fiber pairs 9
n
links
n
CEC 2 n links CU 2
links

Site 1 Site 2
up to 50 km or 70 km with RPQ
(Control Unit dependent)

Figure 104. Remote site with FICON channels using 2029s

Figure 104 shows a remote site having two control units being accessed by two
CECs from the primary site through one FICON switch, using fiber extenders
(IBM Fiber Saver - 2029).

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 145

 This design allows the maximum distance between sites, as the 2029s can
extend and multiplex FICON channels up to 50 km or 70 km with an RPQ. In this
case the maximum distance between sites is up to 50 km or 70 km with RPQ
(device dependent), and requires only two fiber pairs between both sites. It is
important to note that FICON channels do not have the data droop effect at those
distances.

Fewer 2029 ports are required, as fewer FICON channels than ESCON channels
are required.

11.4.3 GDPS and FICON channels

FICON native channels can participate in a Geographically Dispersed Parallel
Sysplex (GDPS) environment, allowing for better I/O operations throughput.

Site A 40 Km Repeated Site B

Coupling Coupling
Facility (1) Facility (2)
I1 I2
I1
I2
ISC Fiber Fiber F2
ISC
Processor F1
T1 Saver Saver F1 Processor
T1
(1) ETR F2
C1
C1 (2)
I4 FICON
FICON I3 I3
Fiber Fiber
I4 F4 ETR
Saver Saver T2
ETR F3
FICON FICON FICON FICON
F4 F3
OSA-E ETR
C2 T2 C2 OSA-E

SM SM Sysplex Sysplex SM
SM
Timer Timer

FC FC FC FC
Fabric Fabric Fabric Fabric
(1) (2) (3) (4)
OS/390 OS/390
Console Console

CU CU CU CU CU CU CU CU

Figure 105. FICON channels in GDPS environment

Figure 105 shows a GDPS environment using FICON native (FC) channels. The
maximum distance between sites in this case remains the same (40 km), since it
is limited by Sysplex Timer connections and not by the channels.

The benefits of using FICON native (FC) channels in this case are:
• For the same I/O workload and throughput, fewer 2029 ports are required for
FICON channels than for ESCON channels. Using the same number of
channels (and 2029 ports) the total bandwidth is increased, allowing a higher
I/O workload and throughput.
• FICON channels operating at 40 km do not experience data droop effect, as
occurs with ESCON channels at 9 km.

146 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

11.5 FICON connectivity recommendations
In an all ESCON (CNC) channel to control unit connectivity environment, the
minimum number of recommended ESCON (CNC) channel paths required to
support a physical control unit with all ESCON interfaces should be equal to the
maximum number of concurrent I/O transfers that the ESCON physical control
unit can perform on the ESCON interfaces (up to the zArchitecture maximum of
eight for any LCU). This will allow the maximum exploitation of concurrent I/O
operations to the physical control unit and any logical control unit in the physical
CU.

In an all FICON Bridge (FCV) channel to control unit connectivity environment,

the minimum number of recommended FICON Bridge (FCV) channel paths
required to support an ESCON “logical CU” should be equal to the maximum
number of concurrent I/O transfers that the ESCON-connected logical control unit
can perform on the ESCON interfaces (up to the zArchitecture maximum of
eight). This will allow the maximum exploitation of concurrent I/O operations to
any logical CU.

In an all FICON native (FC) channel to control unit connectivity environment

where all paths from a processor to a control unit are over FICON native (FC)
channels, the minimum number of FICON native (FC) channel paths required is
dependent on the control unit characteristics, particularly with respect to its
concurrent I/O capability. So the control unit vendor must provide all the control
unit I/O concurrency, addressing and connectivity characteristics.

11.5.1 Channel path connections

The IBM CHPID Report shows the CHPID numbers and STI cables used. An
example is shown in Figure 106 on page 148. The report can be obtained from
IBM and should be handed to the customer for all new or upgraded machines or
channel MESs.

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 147

 CHA
Even STI Odd STI Support CHPID # / Type

9672-R76 CHPID REPORT

STI - CHA SLOT - CAGE LOCATION - I/O SLOT - CHPID/TYPE
0 - 24 - FRAME Z BOTTOM - 11 - 00/E 01/E 02/E 03/E
0 - 24 - FRAME Z BOTTOM - 10 - 04/E 05/E 06/E 07/E
0 - 9 - FRAME Z BOTTOM - 29 - 08/E 09/E 0A/E 0B/E
0 - 9 - FRAME Z BOTTOM - 28 - 0C/P4 0D/P4 0E/P4 0F/P4
0 - 9 - FRAME Z BOTTOM - 27 - 10/P4 11/P4 12/P4 13/P4
0 - 24 - FRAME Z BOTTOM - 26 - 14/P4 15/P4 16/P4 17/P4
1 - 23 - FRAME Z BOTTOM - 21 - 24/E 25/E 26/E 27/E
1 - 16 - FRAME Z BOTTOM - 18 - 28/E 29/E 2A/E 2B/E
1 - 16 - FRAME Z BOTTOM - 17 - 2C/P4 2D/P4 2E/P4 2F/P4
1 - 23 - FRAME Z BOTTOM - 15 - 30/E 31/E 32/E 33/E
...
4 - 24 - FRAME A BOTTOM - 11 - 80/E 81/E 82/E 83/E
ESCON
4 - 24 - FRAME A BOTTOM - 10 - 84/E 85/E 86/E 87/E
4 - 9 - FRAME A BOTTOM - 29 - 88/E 89/E 8A/E 8B/E
4 - 9 - FRAME A BOTTOM - 28 - 8C/P4 8D/P4 8E/P4 8F/P4
5 - 23 - FRAME A BOTTOM - 21 - A4/E A5/E A6/E A7/E
5 - 16 - FRAME A BOTTOM - 18 - A8/E A9/E AA/E AB/E
5 - 16 - FRAME A BOTTOM - 17 - AC/P4 AD/P4 AE/P4 AF/P4
5 - 23 - FRAME A BOTTOM - 15 - B0/E B1/E B2/E B3/E
5 - 23 - FRAME A BOTTOM - 14 - B4/E B5/E B6/E B7/E FICON
...
10 - - FRAME Z TOP - 6 - F8/H1
10 - - FRAME Z TOP - 7 - F9/H1
9 - - FRAME Z TOP - 31 - FC/H1
9 - - FRAME Z TOP - 32 - FD/H1

Figure 106. 9672 G5 and G6 CHPID Report

The CHPID Report is provided to the customers for each of their zSeries or 9672
G5/G6 processors. From this report the customer can see:
• What channel types and quantities are installed
• The location of each channel and the assigned CHPID number
• The channel adapter (CHA) used to support the channel (not all channel types
need to be supported by a CHA)
• The STI connection used to support the channel

The customer would use the report to:

• Define the channel type and the channel mode for the channel, as well as the
CHPID number.
• Decide which channels to select as a group of channels to connect to a
multi-path control unit that provides the best availability, and define them as
the channel group to a control unit.

Recommendations for connecting a multipath control unit to channels on zSeries

or S/390 processors include:
• For redundancy reasons, spread the channel path (CHPID) selection (for the
multi-path CU) between CHPIDs that are on different channel cards. If you
have to choose a CHPID that is connected to an STI that you have already
selected (for connection to the same logical CU), then choose a CHPID that is
supported by a different channel adapter card (CHA) on that same STI.
• For the zSeries 900 processor, even using CHPID renumbering, the previous
recommendation still applies: spread the channel path (CHPID) selection (for
the multi-path CU) between CHPIDs that are on different channel cards.
CHPID renumbering allows the customer to reassign another CHPID number
to a channel path, but physically it remains in the same location.

148 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

11.5.2 How many FICON channels
As a general rule for planning purposes—because not all the required control unit
performance information is available—we can start by recommending configuring
about four times fewer FICON native (FC) channels than ESCON channels to a
control unit.

The following considerations apply:

• Even with four times fewer channels, the FICON native configuration is
capable of more I/O operation concurrency than the ESCON configuration.
• The FICON native configuration removes some ESCON addressing
limitations, allowing a higher device addressability (up to 16,384 devices per
FICON native channel). This potentially increases the I/O workload of a
control unit.
• This does not mean that I/O response times will be the same.

This approach can be better evaluated during migration time, when FICON native
(FC) channels are added to an existing control unit with ESCON adapters. Having
both channel types operating at the same time on the same control unit should
provide valuable information regarding the capabilities for that specific
configuration and I/O workload.

There are also some connectivity considerations that should be considered:

• The number of adapters required to exploit the control unit capability
• The connectivity requirements for a specific configuration, based on the
number of switches and adapters
• Redundancies for availability reasons

Consider the following examples:

• Assume an existing control unit with four ESCON adapters. Using the
conversion factor of four, this results in just one FICON adapter, which is not a
good solution for high availability.
• Assume an existing disk control unit with eight ESCON adapters. This results
in only two FICON adapters, which may be sufficient to sustain the same I/O
workload and bandwidth, but may not be sufficient to exploit the control unit
throughput capabilities. This number of FICON adapters may be four or even
eight, but now this control unit can have much better throughput.

It is very important to remember that the optimum number of channels and

adapters is related to the control unit characteristics and implementation. The
control unit vendor should provide all the control unit characteristics.

So, in summary, the control unit vendor is the correct source for precise
connectivity recommendations for the control unit’s maximum I/O concurrency
exploitation in a FICON environment.

11.5.3 Maximum I/O concurrency exploitation

Control unit I/O concurrency
You may install and define more than eight channel paths to any physical control
unit (from the same zSeries or S/390 processor image) when the physical control

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 149

 unit has two or more logical control units. But, in any case, a maximum of only
eight channel paths may be defined to any one logical control unit.

You can use this approach for physical control units that support greater than
eight concurrent I/O transfers and that have a customer requirement for a high
I/O rate when using ESCON channels.

Using FICON channels, it is possible to have more than eight concurrent I/O
transfers even for the same logical control unit.

An example of this type of control unit is the IBM 2105 Enterprise Storage Server
(ESS).

I/O device I/O concurrency

The IBM ESS also supports the Parallel Access Volumes (PAV) function, which
provides for one or more concurrent I/O operations to the same disk volume. In
addition to customizing the IBM ESS to provide the required number of base
devices (3390B) and PAV devices (3390A - alias devices), the customer should
also provide enough ESCON and/or FICON channel path connectivity to support
the maximum I/O concurrency of the IBM ESS logical control units and its base
devices and the PAV alias devices.

The following figures show an IBM ESS disk control unit configuration that
supports eight or more concurrent channel I/O operations to any logical control
unit within the physical control unit, and 16 or more concurrent channel I/O
operations to the physical control unit. Figure 107 shows that ESCON (CNC)
requires 16 channels to exploit 16 concurrent I/O transfers, while Figure 108 on
page 151 shows that it requires only eight FICON channels to support greater
exploitation of the control unit’s concurrent I/O transfer capabilities.

Some newer disk control unit Unit Information Modules (UIMs) only support the
connection of a device to one control unit definition. Therefore, only one control
unit definition is used in the IBM ESS configuration examples for ESCON and
FICON.

zSeries or S/390 Processor How many concurrent I/Os:

ESCON channels total
ESCON (CNC) Channels Physical CU total
80 88 B0 B8 A0 A8 90 98 10 18 30 38 20 28 00 08 Max per LCU (CUADD)
ESCON CU links total
4B 55 4B 55 4B 55 4B 55
0B 35 0B 35 0B 35 0B 35 Actual concurrent
I/O operations
SW-1 SW-2 SW-3 SW-4 CHANs CU LCU
A3 C3 A3 C3 A3 C3 A3 C3
16 16 8

CU 2000 Disk 2000-20xx (LCU 0) Actual concurrent

CU 2100 Disk 2100-21xx (LCU 1) I/O Operations
CU 2200 Disk 2200-22xx (LCU 2)
16
CU 2300 Disk 2300-23xx (LCU 3) CU concurrent
CU 2400 Disk 2400-24xx (LCU 4) I/O capability
CU 2500 Disk 2500-25xx (LCU 5) (CU-dependent)
CU 2600 Disk 2600-26xx (LCU 6) 16
CU 2700 Disk 2700-27xx (LCU 7) LCU concurrent
I/O capability
(CU-dependent)
8

Figure 107. ESCON (CNC) channel configuration - 16 channel paths, 8 LCUs

150 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 In the configuration shown in Figure 107 on page 150, there are 16 ESCON
(CNC) channel paths configured to access the IBM ESS. Eight of the ESCON
channel paths are defined to access all the even-addressed LCUs (CUADDs).
The other eight ESCON channel paths are defined to access all the
odd-addressed LCUs (CUADDs).

With this configuration, the 16 ESCON (CNC) channel paths can support up to 16
concurrent I/O transfers to the one physical control unit. Eight of the concurrent
I/O transfers can be from any of the even-addressed LCUs, and the other eight
concurrent I/O transfers can be from any of the odd-addressed LCUs.

How many concurrent I/Os:

S/390 Processor FICON channels total
Physical CU total
FICON (FC) Channels Max per LCU (CUADD)
FC FE FD F4 F9 F0 F8 FA ESCON CU links total

05 08 05 08 05 08 05 08 Actual concurrent
SW-1 SW-2 SW-3 SW-4 I/O operations
CHANs CU LCU
10 1F 10 1F 10 1F 10 1F 16 or more multiple 8+

Actual concurrent
CU 2000 Disk 2000-20xx (LCU 0)
I/O Operations
CU 2100 Disk 2100-21xx (LCU 1)
multiple
CU 2200 Disk 2200-22xx (LCU 2)
CU 2300 Disk 2300-23xx (LCU 3) CU concurrent
CU 2400 Disk 2400-24xx (LCU 4) I/O capability
(CU-dependent)
CU 2500 Disk 2500-25xx (LCU 5)
multiple
CU 2600 Disk 2600-26xx (LCU 6)
CU 2700 Disk 2700-27xx (LCU 7) LCU concurrent
I/O capability
(CU-dependent)
8+

Figure 108. FICON channel configuration - 8 channels to 8 LCUs

In Figure 108 there are eight FICON channel paths configured to access all eight
LCUs (CUADDs), as each one has the capability to address up to 16,384 device
addresses.

With this configuration, the eight FICON channel paths can support multiple
concurrent I/O transfers to any and all logical control unit to this physical control
unit, as well as more I/O transfers to other physical and logical control units,
using FICON frame multiplexing capability.

11.5.4 Mixing different control unit types

Determining whether you can intermix the same CU types and different CU types
on the same channel requires knowledge of the control units’ operational
characteristics and the channel characteristics.

Historically, it has been recommended not to intermix control units that you do not
want to be locked out for periods of time with other control units (and their
operations) that can cause lockout for certain types of channel operations.

Control units and device types that could cause lockouts:

• Tape
• Some old disk access channel programs (RYO)

Chapter 11. FICON channel configurations 151

 Intermixing of control unit types with different channel usage characteristics, like
disk and tape, on the same FICON channel is allowed.

Although FICON channels do not have the ESCON interlock problems, some
performance characteristics should be taken into account. Tape control units
normally transfer large data blocks, and this may interfere with the response time
of some control units requiring the best possible response time, such as disk
control units.

So, response time sensitive control units should not be configured to use the
same FICON channel as tape control units.

11.5.5 FICON and Channel-to-Channel (CTC) connections

FICON native (FC) channels are not implementing the Channel-to-Channel (CTC)
function initially.

Currently only ESCON channels have the CTC function available. So, any CTC
connection must use an ESCON (CTC) channel, which can be connected either
to another ESCON (CNC) channel or to a FICON Bridge (FCV) channel through
an ESCON Director with FICON Bridge card.

CEC 1

CTC CNC

CTC Function

ESCD

FICON Bridge
Card
CTC Function

FCV CTC

CEC 2

Figure 109. Channel-to-channel (CTC) function

Figure 109 shows the two CTC connection possibilities:

• The CTC connection on the left side has the CTC function in CEC 1, using an
ESCON (CTC) channel, which is connected to a FICON Bridge (FCV) channel
in CEC 2 via the FICON Bridge card on the ESCON Director.
• The CTC connection on the right side has the CTC function in CEC 2, using an
ESCON (CTC) channel, which is connected to an ESCON (CNC) channel in
CEC 2.

152 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Chapter 12. FICON - Fibre Channel cabling
This chapter discusses FICON channel cabling options and specifications. It
includes information describing supported distances, attenuation, fiber cable
types, and connectors.

12.1 Basic implementation options

Two Fiber Optic SubAssembly (FOSA) options for FICON channel port cards,
Fibre Channel Director port cards and FICON control unit adapter cards are
available:
• Long wavelength laser (LW) at 1300 nm
• Short wavelength laser (SW) at 850 nm

These two FOSA types (LW and SW), combined with the different fiber cable
modes, provide five implementation options, shown in Table 21.
Table 21. Fiber channel cabling implementation options

FOSA type Single mode Multimode Multimode

(9/125) (62.5/125) (50/125)

Long wavelength X Xa Xa

Short wavelength X X
a. Mode Conditioner Patch (MCP) cables are required

The recommended and most flexible fiber cable option is based on 9 micron
single-mode fiber cables with long wavelength FOSAs. However, the optimum
cabling implementation option for any given installation depends on the
environment and configuration requirements.

12.2 Basic FICON cabling terminology

The FC Link is the logical connection consisting of a pair of optical fibers between
two fiber channel ports; see Figure 110 on page 154. The FC Link can consist of
one or more optical links (by using fiber extenders; for details see “Fiber extender
and fiber repeater” on page 160).

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 153

 FC - Port FC - Port

FOSA FOSA

Outbound Outbound
Tx Tx

Inbound Inbound
Rx Rx
Optical Link
Fiber Cabling

FC-0 Link

Figure 110. Fiber channel link

A fiber channel link (port-to-port connection) can be:

• N_Port to N_Port - point-to-point topology
• N_Port to F_Port - switched point-to-point topology
• F_Port to N_Port - switched point-to-point topology
• E_Port to E_Port - fiber channel fabric inter-switch links

Figure 111 on page 155 introduces the basic terminology of a fiber channel from
a cabling point of view.

154 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 zSeries
Processor
FC Switch
Matching Fabric
LP1 LW or SW Matching
z/OS FOSAs LW or SW
FOSAs
Single FC Switch
Optical Link
LP2 FICON FC Optical Link FICON
z/OS Channel Switch Fiber Cable CU/Device
Fiber Cable
FOSA FOSA FOSA FOSA
LP3
N_Port F_Port F_Ports N_Port
OS/390

FC Optical Link
(FOSA and Fiber Cable Optical Link
FOSA Characteristics) (Characteristics)
FC
N_Port Fibre Channel Link Fibre Channel Link
(FC Port to FC Port) (FC Port to FC Port)
FC
F_Port
Fibre Channel Path
N_Port to N_Port

FC-4 to FC-4 layer

z/Architecure Channel Path
(LPAR Image to Control Unit Image Storage Device)

Figure 111. Basic FICON cabling terminology

Fibre Channel infrastructure terminology:

• Optical link - the connection between two FOSAs
• Fibre Channel link - the connection between two fibre channel ports
For most installations an optical link and an FC Link would be the same. The
case where it would be different is when there are optical extenders in the FC
Link.
• Fibre Channel path - the logical connection between an N_Port to another
N_Port (logically - because it may be physically connected by one or more
fibre channel switches)
• z/Architecture Channel Path - the logical connection between the device
support within a zSeries processor image and an actual installed device

From a cabling standpoint, the most important factor of an FC Link is the

selection of the FOSA type. This is based on requirements such as distance,
attenuation, and fiber re-use for the optical link.

Note
Keep in mind that the FOSA types (LW or SW) at the end of each optical link
must match.

12.3 Key items for fiber cable planning

When planning for fiber cabling, certain criteria must be considered; for example:
• Distance considerations
How far is it between the optical ports (FOSA) or FC ports?

Chapter 12. FICON - Fibre Channel cabling 155

 • FOSA type
Long wavelength (LW) or short wavelength (SW)?
• The type and specifications of the fiber cabling to be used
Fiber cable modes: single-mode (SM) or multi-mode (MM)?
• Reusing of existing fiber cables and trunks
Generally this is meant as using 62.5 micron fiber to support LW FOSA ports,
which also requires the use of Mode Conditioner Patch (MCP) cables.
• Patch panel connections between FOSA ports
Each connection, depending on connector type, will incur a dB loss (on
average between 0.3 and 0.5 dB).
• Maximum allowable link budget (dB) loss
The actual link budget loss is based on how much dB loss the FOSA in the
end device will tolerate.

12.3.1 FOSA types and fiber modes

Each FICON channel port, FICON Director port, and FICON CU adapter port has
a FOSA, which consists of a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter and
receiver can operate independently (bidirectional—frames are to/from different
N_Ports or storage devices) or in duplex mode (frames are to/from the same
N_Port and storage device). The FOSAs are connected via a fiber cable that
consists of two fiber strands. The fiber cable has one twist when the cable is
installed, which allows the transmit port of the FOSA at one end of the cable to be
connected to the receive port of the FOSA at the other end of the cable.

Either a long wavelength (LW) laser signal at 1300 nanometers or a short

wavelength (SW) laser at 850 nanometers can be used for the FICON channel
FOSA or the FICON control unit FICON port. The LW FOSA requires either a
single-mode cable connection or an MCP multimode cable connection to allow
re-use of either 62.5um or 50 um fiber cables. The LW FOSA uses an SC Duplex
connector.

Figure 112 on page 157 illustrates the four cabling options in conjunction with the
FOSA types, such as:
1. LW FOSA - single-mode 9 um fiber cable
2. LW FOSA - MCP and multimode fiber cable (either 62.5 um or 50 um)
3. SW FOSA - multimode 50 um fiber cable
4. SW FOSA - multimode 62.5 um fiber cable

156 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Matching FOSAs

9 micro single-mode fiber optic cable

1 LW FOSA LW FOSA
Optical Link

FC Link

Mode Conditioner Existing Mode Conditioner

Patch cable 50 or 62.5 MM fiber Patch cable
50 or 62.5um 50 or 62.5um

Tx Tx
2 LW FOSA
B
A
B
A LW FOSA
Rx Rx

Complete Optical Link MUST use the same size fiber

50 micron multi-mode fiber optic cable

SW FOSA SW FOSA
3

62.5 micron multi-mode fiber optic cable

SW FOSA SW FOSA
4

Figure 112. FICON fiber cabling options

12.3.2 Link loss budget

The term link loss budget is used to specify how much loss (attenuation) in signal
strength can be tolerated and still allow the receiver to interpret an accurate
signal. Many factors can reduce (attenuate) the signal strength through an optical
link, such as:
• Fiber distance
• Fiber patch panel connections
• Dirty or damaged fiber connectors
• Broken, bent, or crimped fiber cables
• Fiber splices

The optical link will not function properly if too many of these factors, in
combination, attenuate the signal. It is important that the fibers do not have a link
loss that exceeds the link budget of optical link. The signal strength loss is
measured in decibels (dB).

12.3.3 Distance considerations

When 9 micron single-mode fiber is used, which is a prerequisite for LW FOSAs,
the maximum unrepeated fiber length distance supported is 10 km. An RPQ can
be submitted to determine if the link environment (quality of signal) will support a
distance of up to 20 km. This requires that the attenuation of the signal does not
exceed the allowable link loss budget.

The maximum supported link loss budget between two LW FOSAs connected via
single-mode cables is 7 dB.

Chapter 12. FICON - Fibre Channel cabling 157

 Note that when using MCP cables, the supported distance is reduced to 550 m
for 62.5 micron and 50 micron multimode fiber between the two MCP cables, and
the maximum supported link budget loss is 5 dB.

For SW FOSAs, either 62.5 micron or 50 micron multimode fiber cables are
required. The main difference between the options is the maximum supported
distance. For 62.5 um the maximum distance is 300 m and for 50 um the
maximum distance is 500 m.

The maximum supported link loss budget between two SW FOSAs is 6 dB.

Key considerations for fiber connection distances are:

• Optical distance, which depends on:
• Type of FOSA - long wavelength (LW) or short wavelength (SW)
• Type of fiber optical cable used - 9 um, 62.5 um, 50.0 um, or re-use with
MCPs
• Fibre Channel link distances (performance impact), which depend on:
• The number of buffer credits at the N_Port and/or F_Port
For example, 60 buffer credits are required to support a 100 km FC link
distance.
• FICON Channel to CU end-to-end distance (performance impact):
The end-to-end (N_Port to N_Port) supported distance is 100 km. For
distances over 100 km, CCW and Data pipelining droop can occur.
• IU (Information Unit) pacing count for the FICON channel is 16.

For example, an SW FOSA does not support FC links over kilometer distances,
whereas an LW FOSA does. Or if an FC product is selected that supports less
than 60 buffer credits per FC port, performance will be impacted at a distance of
100 km. In addition, it should be noted that light takes time to travel over 100 km.
At least a 2 ms response time increase should be assumed for each I/O
operation, if the distance is at 100 km.

Figure 113 on page 159 illustrates the maximum distance dependencies based
on the FOSA type and fiber cable type. Along with the FOSA type and fiber cable
type, the diagram also indicates which connector types are supported.

158 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FICON (FC-SB-2)
Fibre Channel
Point-to-point (no FC Switch)
LP1 Matching
OS/390 LW or SW
FOSAs

FICON SM (9 um) or MM (50 um or 62.5 um) Fiber Optic Cable FICON

LP2
OS/390 Channel Optical Link CU/Device
N_Port N_Port

LP3 Buffer Buffer

OS/390 Credits Credits
Connector

Long wave laser - single-mode 9 um fiber - up to 10 km (20 km with RPQ) SC-duplex-SM

FOSA
FC Short wave laser - multi-mode 50 um fiber - up to 500 meters SC-duplex-MM
N_Port

Short wave laser - multi-mode 62.5 um fiber - up to 300 meters SC-duplex-MM

Long wave laser - re-use 62.5 um fiber + MCP - up to 550 meters ESCON duplex

Long wave laser - re-use 50 um fiber + MCP - up to 550 meters ESCON duplex

Figure 113. Distances, fiber mode, connectors

Figure 114 illustrates the distance and buffer credit dependencies for the optical
link and the FC link.

FICON (FC-SB-2)
Fibre Channel

Point-to-point - No FC Switch - No Extenders

LP1 Matching
OS/390 LW or SW
FOSAs

FICON SM (9 um) or MM (50 um or 62.5 um) Fiber Optic Cable

LP2 FICON
OS/390 Channel Optical Link CU/Device
N_Port N_Port

LP3 Buffer Buffer

Credits Credits
OS/390
Optical link - Fiber Channel Link - FICON Chanel Path

FOSA Optical link distance of up to 10 km supported

FC
N_Port
Total supported distance of up to 100 km,
requires an x_Port buffer credit of 60 Needs
extenders

IBM supports a total end-to-end distance of up to 100 km for FC-SB-2

Figure 114. Point-to-point distances

Chapter 12. FICON - Fibre Channel cabling 159

 Table 22 summarizes the FICON cabling-specific items. It does not include
specific information about the IBM Fiber Saver (2029) or fiber
extenders/repeaters.
Table 22. FICON cabling specifications

Trunk Fiber Distance ** Loss

Channel/Use FOSA Plug Type (Unrepeated)
Notes
Specification Budget
FICON (1.063 Gb) LW Laser Single mode: 9 um SC-Duplex (SM) 10 km 7.8 dB 100 km via
1300 nm 20 km (RPQ) repeaters.
LW FOSA Requires matching
LW FOSA optics.

FICON (1.063 Gb) LW Laser Multimode: 62.5 um SC-Duplex (SM) 550 m 5 dB All Fiber between
1300 nm Mode Conditioner and mode conditioners
LW FOSA ESCON must be 62.5 um.
Patch cable Requires matching
(Trunk Fiber reuse)
Mode Conditioner LW FOSA optics.
Cable (FC 0106)
FICON (1.063 Gb) LW Laser Multimode: 50 um SC-Duplex (SM) 550 m 5 dB All Fiber between
1300 nm Mode Conditioner and mode conditioners
LW FOSA ESCON must be 50 um.
Patch cable
Requires matching
(Trunk Fiber reuse)
Mode Conditioner LW FOSA optics.
Cable (FC 0103)
FICON (1.063 Gb) SW Laser Multimode: 50 um SC-Duplex (MM) 500 m 3.8 dB Requires matching
850 nm SW FOSA optics.
SW FOSA

FICON (1.063 Gb) SW Laser Requires matching

850 nm SW FOSA optics.
SW FOSA Up to 300 m 3.0 dB
200 MHz Multimode: 62.5 um SC-Duplex (MM)
SC-Duplex (MM) Up to 250 m 2.8 dB
160 MHz Multimode: 62.5 um

** Note that the distance shown is always dependent on the specification and
quality of the fiber cable. Specifications for the fiber cable standards are
documented in the Fibre Channel - Physical Interface (FC-PI) ANSI document
ANSI NCITS xxx-200x FC-PI T11/Project 1235D. This document can be obtained
from the following Web site:
www.t11.org

12.4 Fiber extender and fiber repeater

Figure 115 on page 161 shows the distance and buffer credit dependencies for
the optical link and the FC link in a switched point-to-point configuration.

Note that when using a fiber extender, the short haul optical link distance
between the attaching FICON FOSA N_Port (Channel Switch Port or FICON CU
Port) and the fiber extender optical channel interface may be limited.

160 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FICON (FC-SB-2)
Fibre Channel
FC Switch
Matching Matching Fabric
LP1 LW or SW LW or SW Matching
FOSAs FOSAs LW or SW
z/OS Fiber FOSAs
Saver Single FC Switch
Optical
LP2 FICON Link Optical Link FC Optical Link FICON
z/OS Channel Fiber Cable Switch Fiber Cable CU/Device
N_Port F_Port F_Port N_Port
IBM 2029
adapters
LP3 Buffer Buffer Buffer Buffer
z/OS Credits Credits Credits Credits

Optical Optical
Link Link Optical Link Optical Link
FOSA
Short Haul Long Haul Short Haul
FC Optical link distance of
N_Port The IBM 2029 supports OCI optical link up to 10 km supported
short haul distances of 500 m or 1 km
FC
F_Port FC Link FC Link

Total supported distance of up to 100 km,

requires an x_Port buffer credit of 60

FICON Channel Path

IBM supports a total end-to-end distance of up to 100 km for FC-SB-2

Figure 115. Switched point-to-point distances, using IBM Fiber Saver (2029)

Figure 115 shows an example of an FC link using IBM Fiber Savers. The
connection between the Fiber Saver and the FC port (FICON channel FC port, or
Switch FC port) is referred to as the “short haul” distance.

The short haul distance for the Finisar repeater is 200 m, and the short haul
distances for the Fiber Saver are limited to 500 m for MM fiber and 1000 m for SM
fiber.

The maximum long haul distance for FICON channels supported by the Finisar
repeater is 120 km compared to 50 km (70 km RPQ) for the Fiber Saver.
However, it is possible to cascade two IBM Fiber Saver networks to extend the
maximum end-to-end distance to 100 km.

The Finisar product and the IBM Fiber Saver support both FOSA types (LW and
SW) for their short haul connection.

Figure 116 on page 162 shows an example of an FC link using a single FICON
repeater, like the product available from Finisar Corporation.

Chapter 12. FICON - Fibre Channel cabling 161

 Point-to-point - No FC Switch - With Optical Link Extenders
FICON (FC-SB-2)
Fibre Channel

Matching Matching
LP1 LW or SW LW or SW
z/OS FOSAs Optical Optical FOSAs
Link Link
Optical Extender Extender Optical
Link Link
LP2 FICON FICON
z/OS Channel CU/Device
N_Port N_Port

LP3 Buffer Buffer

Credits Credits
z/OS
Short Haul Long Haul Short Haul
Optical Link Optical Link Optical Link

FOSA Optical link Extender optical link Optical link Extender optical link
FC distances of up to 200 meters distances of up to 200 meters
N_Port
Fibre Channel Link

Total supported distance of up to approx 100

km, requires N_Port buffer credits of 60

FICON Channel Path

IBM supports a total end-to-end distance of up to aprrox 100 km for FC-SB-2

Figure 116. Optical link extender

12.5 Reusing of existing cables and trunks

FICON LW FOSA channels usually use a single-mode 9 micron fiber cable
infrastructure. However, FICON LW FOSA channel configurations can also reuse
an existing multimode fiber infrastructure, through the use of MCP cables.

Reusing existing 62.5 and 50 micron multimode fiber is supported for up to

550 m. This requires the use of the MCP cables, one at each end of the link. The
MCP cables are available for the reuse of existing ESCON multimode fiber optic
cables that have IBM ESCON type connectors on the end of the cables.

When the MCP cables are used, there is a reduced link loss budget of 5 dB
versus 7 dB for normal use of single-mode fiber.

Two MCP cables are required per multimode optic link (a link as stated here is the
connection between two fiber optical ports).

The MCP cables enable a single-mode laser signal to transfer to a multimode

fiber with minimal impact to the transmission signal from the modal noise problem
caused by light dispersion of the 1300 nm laser signal being transmitted through
a multimode fiber cable.

The construction of the MCP cable is shown in Figure 117 on page 163.

162 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 OFFSET FIBER FERRULE
Cladding 125 um Core 62.5 um
Core
9 um
Single mode fiber
Single-mode fiber
Core TX RCV Multi-mode fiber
62.5 um

Existing
2 Meters 50 or 62.5um MM 2 Meters
FOSA Fiber FOSA
TX TX
RCV RCV

Mode Conditioner Fiber cable internal Mode Conditioner

twist to connect
Patch cable transmit FOSA to Patch cable
receive FOSA

SC ESCON ESCON ESCON ESCON SC

Connector Receptacle Connector Connector Receptacle Connector

550 meters maximum cabling distance

Figure 117. Mode Conditioner Patch cables for reusing ESCON multimode fiber

An MCP cable is 2 m in length and consists of three pieces of fiber cabling (fiber
stands), an FCS Duplex connector, an MCP offset ferrule, and ESCON Duplex
connector.

These are connected as follows:

• The Fiber Channel Standard (FCS) Duplex connector, which is equivalent to SC
Duplex connector, is connected to two fiber strands:
• A 9 micron single-mode fiber that is connected to the MCP offset ferrule.
• A multimode fiber that connects straight through to the ESCON Duplex
connector.
• The ESCON Duplex connector is connected to two fiber strands:
• A multimode fiber that is also connected to the MCP offset ferrule.
• A multimode fiber that connects straight through to the FCS Duplex
connector.

The purpose of the single-mode to multimode fiber offset ferrule is to allow the
transit of a laser signal from a single-mode fiber to a multimode fiber. For this to
happen, the two fibers are offset to one another where they join inside the
encapsulated ferrule.

As the laser signal travels through the multimode fiber, there is a dispersion of the
signal and therefore effectively an attenuation of the signal. Because of this
attenuation, the supported distance between the two LW FOSAs is reduced to
550 m as shown in Figure 118 on page 164.

Chapter 12. FICON - Fibre Channel cabling 163

 550 meters maximum cabling
distance

Mode Conditioning Mode Conditioning

FICON
Patch Cable (2M) 62.5um Patch Cable (2M) DIRECTOR
ESCON
FICON
Trunk Cable
FC CU

CNC CU
FC 0106 62.5 um FC 0106 62.5 um

CNC 1 pair of 1 pair of

Fibers Fibers
CU
62.5 um MM
FC Patch Panel or
ESCON Jumper
Cable

zSeries
PROCESSOR Note:
CABINETS and PATCH PANELS Complete "single-mode" link must be of same fiber
(for Fiber Cables) size - 62.5 um used in this example
Be sure that the XMIT to RCV connection is
maintained with an ODD number of fiber swaps
(twists) between both LW-FOSAs

Figure 118. Mode Conditioner Patch cables - patch panels

Note that the patch panels may still be used in a multimode fiber cabling
infrastructure. The conditions that must be observed are:
• The correct MCP cable (50 or 62.5) must be used to connect to the multimode
fiber infrastructure.
• Only two MCP cables are ever required in the FICON fibre channel link.
• The same fiber size (62.5 micron or 50 micron) must be used all the way
between the two MCP cables in the fibre channel link.
• Correct connectors at the MCP cable end (ESCON Duplex connector).
• There must still be an odd number of cable twists between the two FOSAs.
• The same size of fiber all the way through the FICON channel link (62.5 of 50
micron) between the two MCP cables.

164 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 The Mode Conditioner Patch cables must plug directly
into the Channel OSA and Switch FOSA, or CU FOSA
SM or MM jumper cables must not be installed between a
Mode Conditioner Patch cable and the FOSA

Single Mode Existing Multi-Mode

Jumper Cable 62.5 um MM Fiber Jumper Cable
FOSA FOSA
TX TX
RCV RCV
Mode Conditioner Mode Conditioner
Patch cable Patch cable

Problem: Problem:
No light collecting lens
No light collecting lens for Poor transition of the
for MM-to-SM transition
MM-to-SM transition Laser signal from the Tx
FOSA to the MM fiber

Figure 119. Mode Conditioner Patch cables - invalid use

When MCP cables are used, they must be plugged directly into the LW-FOSA. No
other fiber cable must be placed between the MCP and the FOSA, as shown in
Figure 119.

If a 9 micron single-mode fiber cable is incorrectly placed between the MCP and
the FOSA, then the incoming receive signal will not pass successfully between
the end of the MCP and the 9 micron single-mode fiber. Normally the MCP is
plugged into the FOSA, which has a receive signal lens, and it can collect most of
the incoming signal, whereas most of the signal is lost when passing between the
MCP and a single-mode fiber cable.

If a 62.5 multimode fiber cable is incorrectly placed between the MCP and the
FOSA, then the outgoing transmit signal will not pass successfully between the
FOSA and the end of the incorrectly placed multimode fiber cable. This is
because a laser signal is trying to transit from a single-mode fiber cable to a
multimode fiber cable without an offset between the two fibers.

12.6 Mixed cabling implementation example

Figure 120 on page 166 shows an example of cabling implementation options for
the different FOSA connections. For example, an LW single-mode implementation
for the FICON channel to FICON Director can be used at the same time as an SW
multimode implementation between the FICON Director and the FICON control
unit adapter. However, the different attenuation values and the different distance
values must be taken into consideration. The configuration should be checked
against the information shown in Table 22 on page 160.

Chapter 12. FICON - Fibre Channel cabling 165

 Note:
in this example.
10 km maximum (20 km RPQ) FICON channel and FICON
unrepeated cabling distance Directorport shown uses a long
Channel
wavelength LASER.
9um SM Fiber
FOSA
Jumper Cable or
Trunk Cable
LW
Transmit Transmit LW
SW
FC
SW

FC 1 pair of Fibers in Fiber cable internal CU

Receive Receive
an IBM Fiber twist to connect
jumper cable transmit FOSA to
FC receive FOSA
Note:
Complete optical link must be of same fiber size ! CU
FC

Note:
in this example.
zSeries FICON Directorport and FICON CU
PROCESSOR adapter shown uses a short
wavelength LASER. 500m (50micron)
(FOSA = Fiber Optic Subassembly)
LW=LongWave , SW=ShortWave
300m (62.5micron)
max unrepeated cabling distance

Figure 120. Mixed cabling implementation

Repeaters can be used to extend the distance between the FICON channel and the
FICON control unit up to 100 km.

FICON links can also be extended via the IBM Fiber Saver (2029), a dense
wavelength division multiplexer which can run up to 64 protocol-independent data
channels over two pairs of optical fibers to distances of 50 km and more upon RPQ
request and cascading. This is described in IBM Fiber Saver (2029) Implementation
Guide, SG24-5608.

For migration purposes, IBM supports an intermix of ESCON (CNC), FICON

Bridge (FCV) and FICON (FC) channel paths defined from one z/OS image to the
same CU image. Be aware of the specific characteristics (attenuation, distance)
of different FOSAs (LW and SW) and the different fiber cabling (SM, MM, MCP)
usage.

166 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition
This chapter describes the HCD and IOCP definition requirements of the
following resources:
• FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode
A FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode configured as either
point-to-point or switched point-to-point
• FICON Director
A Fibre Channel switch that requires a control unit port (CUP) and supports
attachment of FICON native (FC) channel paths and FICON control units
• FICON control unit
A control unit that attaches to FICON native (FC) channel paths
• FICON device
A device assigned to FICON native (FC) channel paths

Definition information for specific control units and devices that attach to FICON
native (FC) channels, such as the IBM ESS 2105 Model F20, is also presented.

13.1 FICON native channels

This section discusses the definition requirements for a FICON channel in FICON
native (FC) mode. Both IOCP and the HCD (see “HCD definition” on page 173)
definition processes for FC channels are described.

13.1.1 IOCP definition

This section discusses IOCP definition of FICON native (FC) channels on both
the zSeries 900 and the 9672 G5 and G6 processors.

zSeries 900 IYPIOCP

IOCP program IYPIOCP Version 1 Release 1 Level 0 (1.1.0) is available for the
zSeries 900 processor. This version of IOCP also supports the FICON native
(FC) channels on that processor. Refer to “IOCP” on page 52 for more
information on the associated APAR and PTFs.

9672 G5/G6 IZPIOCP

Version 1 Release 8 Level 2 (1.8.2) of program IZPIOCP for 9672 G5/G6
processors provides support for FICON native (FC) channels. Refer to “IOCP” on
page 52 for more information on the associated APAR and PTFs.

CHPID macro instruction

The FICON channel is defined on the IOCP CHPID macro instruction. The TYPE
and the SWITCH keywords in particular require review. The CHPID macro
instruction is shown in Figure 121 on page 168.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 167

 CHPID
PATH=((chpid,chpid,...))
SHARED | REConfigurable | dedicated
PARTITION=((lpname,lpname,lpname),(lpname,lpname,lpname))
NOTPART=((lpname,lpname),(lpname))
TYPE=FC
SWITCH=number *

* use dynamic logical switch number for ESCON,

but entry logical switch number for FICON

Requires -
For zSeries 900, IYPIOCP 1.1.0 PTF UW90695 for OW46633
For 9672 G5/G6, IZPIOCP 1.8.2 PTF UW72160 for OW45473

Figure 121. IOCP CHPID macroinstruction - FICON native (FC) CHPID definition

PATH keyword
The PATH keyword is used to specify up to eight two-digit hexadecimal numbers
for the FICON CHPID numbers. The CHPID numbers that can be specified for
FICON channels are predetermined, based on the number and types of channels
ordered for the specific processor.

The CHPID Report, provided by IBM as a result of a new or upgrade machine

order, identifies the default CHPID numbers of all installed channels and STI
cables used. This report can be obtained from IBM and should be handed to the
customer for all new or upgraded machines or channel MESs. Refer to “Channel
path connections” on page 147 for a sample of the CHPID Report.

Note that the zSeries processor provides a new function called Flexible CHPID
Number Assignment. This function allows the customer to change a default
CHPID number for a channel to any other CHPID number.

TYPE keyword
As shown in the figure above, the CHPID type for FICON channels in FICON
native (FC) mode is specified as TYPE=FC. This indicates that the FICON
channel will operate in FICON native (FC) mode, as opposed to TYPE=FCV
which specifies that the FICON channel will operate in FICON conversion mode
attached to a 9032-5 ESCON Director FICON Bridge adapter.

SWITCH keyword
If the FICON channel is connected to a FICON Director, the SWITCH keyword
must also be specified. Note that for a FICON native (FC) channel, the switch
number specified is the logical switch number of the entry switch. In the future,
with cascading FICON switches, the switch number specification may be different
to the case of an ESCON channel, where for ESCON the SWITCH keyword
specifies the logical switch number of the ESCON dynamic switch.

Refer to Figure 122 on page 169 for a review of the terminology used for
describing the ESCON Director in an ESCON environment.

A switch must have a logical switch number, or LSN, which is a unique arbitrary 2
hex-digit number in the range 00 to FF. This number is specified by the systems

168 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

programmer in the IOCP and/or HCD and can be displayed using System
Automation for OS/390 (SA) I/O-Ops or ESCON Manager commands.

A switch can also have a device number, a 3 to 4 hex-digit number in the range
000 to FFFF. Although defining the switch as a device is optional, it is
recommended so that the switch can report switch-related errors to the operating
system, and note that it is required if SA I/O-Ops or ESCON Manager is used.
The switch device number is also specified by the systems programmer in IOCP
and/or HCD.

zSeries Processor
ESCON (CNC) Channels v F003,online
A8 A0 88 80 28 20 18 10 05

Device number F002 Switch 03

Logical Switch Number
Switch 02 Device number F003
(LSN=02) CUP Logical Switch Number (LSN=03)
CUP
C3 C3 A3
A3
CHPIDS 20, 28
CHPIDS 80, 88 Dynamic and Entry switch
Dynamic and Entry switch logical switch number 03
logical switch number 01
Switch 04 Device number F004
Device number F001 Switch 01 Logical Switch Number (LSN=04)
Logical Switch Number CUP CUP
(LSN=01) C3
A3
A3 C3

CU 1000 DASD Devices

(CUADD 0) 1000 - 10FF

CU 1100 DASD Devices

(CUADD 1) 1100 - 11FF

CU 1200 DASD Devices

(CUADD 2) 1200 - 12FF

CU 1300 DASD Devices

(CUADD 3) 1300 - 13FF

Figure 122. Switch terminology - ESCON channels

Figure 122 shows an example of four ESCON Directors that have been assigned
logical switch numbers (LSN) 01, 02, 03 and 04. The LSN is used in the
IOCP/HCD definition to assign a CHPID to its associated ESCON dynamic switch
(that is, the switch where the CHPID’s dynamic connections occur). So, even
though CHPID 80 is physically connected to LSN 02, switch 02 is chained to
switch 01, and the connection through switch 02 for CHPID 80 is static. The
dynamic connections for the paths over CHPID 80 are in switch 01, which is
defined as its dynamic switch on the SWITCH keyword in the IOCP.

The diagram also demonstrates the use of the switch device number. Each switch
has been defined as an IODEVICE with two paths for availability. For example,
switch 03 has two paths defined to the control unit port (CUP, internal port FE)
over CHPIDs 20 and 28, which are also used to support paths to the disk devices.
The IOCP definition for this configuration is shown in Figure 123 on page 170.

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition 169

 ID MSG1='2064-112', x
MSG2='ESCON CHANNEL CU DEFINITIONS', x
SYSTEM=(2064,1)
RESOURCE PARTITION=((LP1,1),(LP2,2),(LP3,3))
CHPID PATH=(80,88),TYPE=CNC,SHARED,SWITCH=01, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
CHPID PATH=(A0,A8),TYPE=CNC,SHARED,SWITCH=02, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
CHPID PATH=(20,28),TYPE=CNC,SHARED,SWITCH=03, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
CHPID PATH=(10,18),TYPE=CNC,SHARED,SWITCH=04, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
****************************************************************
** DASD CUs 1000 and 1001 and Devices 1000 to 10FF
****************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=1000,PATH=(80,88,A0,A8),CUADD=0, x
UNITADD=((00,256)), LINK=(A3,C3,A3,C3),UNIT=3990-6
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=1001,PATH=(10,18,20,28),CUADD=0, x
UNITADD=((00,256)),LINK=(A3,C3,A3,C3),UNIT=3990-6
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(1000,256),UNITADD=00, x
CUNUMBR=(1000,1001),STADET=Y,UNIT=3390
---- c o n t i n u e d ----
****************************************************************
** Switch CU F003 and Device F003
****************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=F003,PATH=(20,28), x
UNITADD=((00,1)),LINK=(FE,FE),UNIT=9032-5
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(F003,1),UNITADD=00, x
CUNUMBR=(F003),STADET=Y,UNIT=9032
---- c o n t i n u e d ----

Figure 123. Sample IOCP for chained switch configuration

In a FICON environment, a switch also has a switch address as well as having a

logical switch number (LSN). In an FC single-switch fabric, the switch address is
not specified by the systems programmer as part of the definition process. As
discussed in “zSeries, S/390, Fibre Channel and FICON terminology” on page 12,
the FICON native (FC) channel issues a Fabric Login (FLOGI). The FLOGI
response enables the FICON native (FC) channel to determine whether it is
connected to an FC Fabric FICON switch or point-to-point.

In addition, if the FICON native (FC) channel is connected to a FICON switch, the
FLOGI response also identifies the attached 24-bit port address. The switch
returns a 24-bit port address which, in the FICON implementation, is interpreted
to include an 8-bit switch address

Figure 124 on page 171 demonstrates the terminology used in describing a

switch port address in a FICON switch environment.

170 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FC Switch and Port Addressing
FC-Switch

FICON Control Unit

Channel FICON Port

FLOGI

ACC with D_ID=x

(24-bit channel-attached fabric port address )

Switch Port Constant

Address Address

zSeries Configuration Design

zSeries FC Channel and Definition (IOCP)
FLOGI 24-bit fabric
port address discover

PLOGI
Switch Port Constant
Address Address

(24-bit destination fabric port address for target control unit)

Figure 124. Switch terminology - FICON channels

Figure 124 shows how the switch address portion of the full 24-bit port address is
determined by the FICON native (FC) channel during the FLOGI process. In
response to the FLOGI, the switch returns an Accept (ACC) with a non-zero
destination ID (D_ID) which the FICON native (FC) channel interprets as 24 bits
of information that includes an 8-bit switch address, an 8-bit port address, and an
8-bit constant.

The switch address and constant obtained are then used to construct the 24-bit
destination fabric port address for the target control unit used in the PLOGI and
for normal commands and data transfer. The 8-bit port address for the destination
port is obtained from the definition (IOCP).

It is recommended that the LSN defined by the systems programmer in

HCD/IOCP be the same as the switch address, which is set up at the FICON
Director. Refer to “McDATA FICON Directors” on page 57 or “Inrange FC 9000-64
FICON Director” on page 91 for the procedure for setting up the switch address.

Sample IOCP coding for FICON native (FC) channel

Figure 125 on page 172 shows sample IOCP coding of the CHPID macro
instruction for a FICON native (FC) channel configuration. In this configuration,
four pairs of FICON (FC) CHPIDs are connected to four FICON Directors, and
four FICON (FC) CHPIDs are connected point-to-point. (Note that it is not
anticipated that point-to-point connections will be common in a FICON
configuration; this diagram is shown only to demonstrate the IOCP coding of a
point-to-point connection.)

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition 171

 zSeries Processor
FICON (FC) Channels
E8 F8 E9 F9 F0 F1 F2 F3 EA FA EB FB

0C 1C 0C 1C 0C 1C 0C 1C
LSN 08 LSN 09 LSN 0A LSN 0B

02 12 FICON 02 12 02 12 FICON 02 12
Directors Directors

CHPID PATH=(E8,F8),SHARED,PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3)),
TYPE=FC,SWITCH=08
CHPID PATH=(E9,F9),SHARED,PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3)),
TYPE=FC,SWITCH=09
CHPID PATH=(EA,FA),SHARED,PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3)),
TYPE=FC,SWITCH=0A
CHPID PATH=(EB,FB),SHARED,PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3)),
TYPE=FC,SWITCH=0B
CHPID PATH=(F0,F1,F2,F3),SHARED,PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3)),TYPE=FC

Figure 125. Sample IOCP coding for FICON native (FC) channels

The SWITCH keyword is required for FC CHPIDs E8-EB and F8-FB because they
are physically connected to FICON Directors.

IOCP resource checking

IYPIOCP provides support for up to 96 FICON native (FC) channels on the
zSeries 900 processor.

IZPIOCP provides support for:

• A maximum of 24 total combined OSA-Express (OSD and OSE) and FICON
(FC and FCV) channels on all 9672 G5 models.
• A maximum of 36 total combined OSA-Express (OSD and OSE) plus FICON
(FC and FCV) channels on all 9672 G6 models. Note that prior levels of IOCP
allowed as many channels to be defined, but issued caution message
MSGIZP064I (return code 2) if more than 24 were defined.

IOCP also polices the resources defined for a FICON native (FC) channel.

The rules checked by IYPIOCP for the zSeries processors are shown in Table 23.
Table 23. IOCP resource checking - FICON channel - zSeries processors

Resources per FICON Channel Number

Max # FICON control units 256

Max # links 256

Max # LCUs (UA ranges) per CU link 256

Max # UAs (devices) per control unit 256

Max # devices for all control units 16,384

172 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 The rules checked by IZPIOCP for 9672 G5 and G6 processors are shown in
Table 24.
Table 24. IOCP resource checking - FICON channel - G5/ G6 processors

Resources per FICON channel Number

Max # FICON control units 255

Max # links 254

Max # LCUs (UA ranges) per CU link 255

Max # UAs (devices) per control unit 256

Max # devices for all control units 16,384

IOCP publication
For the zSeries 900 processor, reference zSeries 900 Input/Output Configuration
Program User’s Guide for IYP IOCP, order number SB10-7029-00.

For the 9672 G5 and G6 processors, reference Input/Output Configuration

Program User's Guide and ESCON Channel-to-Channel Reference, order
number GC38-0401-12.

13.1.2 HCD definition

HCD support for the zSeries processor is provided by the PTFs for APAR
OW43131, while APAR OW43132 provides HCD support for FICON native (FC)
channel paths on 9672 G5/G6 processors. Refer to Section 5.2, “HCD” on
page 51 for PTF information.

HCD resource checking

HCD polices the coding of the following resources:
• On the zSeries 900 processor, the maximum number of FICON (FC) channels
is 96.
• On 9672 G6 processors, the maximum number of FICON channels allowed is
increased to 36 from 24 on the 9672 G5 processors. The CHPID range of OSA
Direct Express (OSD), OSA Express (OSE), Fibre Channel conversion (FCV),
and Integrated Cluster Bus channel paths (CBR and CBS) on the 9672 G6
processors is C8 to FF. Refer to the actual system’s CHPID Placement report
for details.

HCD processor support level selection

To exploit the new hardware functionality, including FICON native (FC) support,
the appropriate HCD processor support level must be selected when defining the
processor. The description of the support level for the zSeries processor is:
Basic 2064 support

The description of the support level for the 9672 G5/G6 processor is:
FICON, OSD, OSE, IC, ICB, CF, OSA, ESCON, 288K MAX HSA

The processor support level is selected via the HCD processor change option, or
on the HCD Add Processor panel. At this time, there is only one support level
available for the zSeries processor and it is automatically assigned when the
processor is defined. An example of support level selection for a 9672 G5/G6
processor definition is shown in Figure 126 on page 174.

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition 173

 Add Processor

Available Support Levels

Row 1 of 4 More: >
Command ===> ___________________________________________________________

Select one.

Support Level
FCV, OSD, OSE, IC, ICB, CF, OSA, ESCON, Parallel
#
FICON, OSD, OSE, IC, ICB, CF, OSA, ESCON, 288K MAX HSA
#
***************************** Bottom of data *****************************

F1=Help F2=Split F3=Exit F7=Backward F8=Forward

F9=Swap F12=Cancel

A support level selection is required.

Figure 126. HCD Available Support Level selection panel

Once the correct processor support level has been selected, the HCD Add
Channel Path panel is used to define a FICON native (FC) channel. A FICON
native (FC) channel can be connected point-to-point or switched point-to-point (to
a FICON Director). The sample configuration shown in Figure 127 is used to
demonstrate the HCD definition.

zSeries Processor
FICON (FC) Channels
E8 F8 E9 F9 F0 F1 F2 F3 EA FA EB FB

0C 1C 0C 1C 0C 1C 0C 1C
LSN 08 LSN 09 LSN 0A LSN 0B

02 12 FICON 02 12 02 12 FICON 02 12
Directors Directors
FICON FICON
CU CU

FICON FICON
CU CU

Figure 127. Sample configuration for HCD FICON native (FC) channel definition

An example of the HCD Add Channel Path panel for a point-to-point FICON
native (FC) channel connection is shown in Figure 128 on page 175, using
CHPID F0 as an example.

174 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Add Channel Path

Specify or revise the following values.

Processor ID . . . : Z900PROC
Configuration mode : LPAR

Channel path ID . . . . F0 +
Number of CHPIDs . . . . 4
Channel path type . . . FC_ +
Operation mode . . . . . SHR +
Managed . . . . . . . . No (Yes or No) I/O Cluster ________ +
Description . . . . . . ________________________________

Specify the following values only if connected to a switch:

Dynamic switch ID . . . __ + (00 - FF)

Entry switch ID . . . . __ +
Entry port . . . . . . . __ +

F1=Help F2=Split F3=Exit F4=Prompt F5=Reset F9=Swap

F12=Cancel

Figure 128. HCD Add Channel Path panel - FC channel point-to-point connection

In this example, four FICON native (FC) channels are defined with consecutive
CHPID numbers starting with F0. The CHPIDs are defined as shared. Because
the CHPIDs are connected point-to-point, no switch information is coded.

An example of coding a switched point-to-point connection for a FICON native

channel is shown in Figure 129 on page 175, also using the sample configuration
shown in Figure 127 on page 174.

Add Channel Path

Specify or revise the following values.

Processor ID . . . : Z900PROC
Configuration mode : LPAR

Channel path ID . . . . F8 +
Number of CHPIDs . . . . 1
Channel path type . . . FC_ +
Operation mode . . . . . shr +

Managed . . . . . . . . No (Yes or No) I/O Cluster ________ +

Description . . . . . . ________________________________

Specify the following values only if connected to a switch:

Dynamic switch ID . . . 08 + (00 - FF)

Entry switch ID . . . . 08 +

Entry port . . . . . . . 1C +
F1=Help F2=Split F3=Exit F4=Prompt F5=Reset F9=Swap
F12=Cancel

Figure 129. HCD Add Channel Path panel - FC switched point-to-point connection

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition 175

 In this example, CHPID F8 is defined as TYPE=FC (FICON native) and may be
shared between multiple images. The CHPID is defined as being connected to
the FICON Director with logical switch number (LSN) 08 at entry port 1C. In this
example, LSN 08 is both the entry switch and the dynamic switch.

13.2 FICON control unit

When defining a FICON control unit, a number of general considerations apply for
both IOCP and HCD. The definition requirements of specific FICON control units,
such as the ESS Model F20, are discussed in subsequent sections of this
chapter.

13.2.1 Control unit paths

All channel paths defined for the FICON control unit must be type FC, CNC or
FCV. Intermixing of channels on a IBM FICON control unit is supported as a
transitional configuration, as discussed in more detail below.

If the FICON native channel path is not assigned to a FICON Director, the
channel path can only be configured to support one control unit unless the control
unit has multiple logical addresses.

Intermixing
IBM control units support the intermixing of FICON native (FC) channel paths with
ESCON (CNC) and FICON Bridge (FCV) channel paths, up to a maximum of 8,
attached to the zSeries processor and the 9672 G5 and G6 processors. However,
it is recommended that the FICON native (FC) channel paths only be mixed with
ESCON (CNC) and FICON Bridge (FCV) channel paths to ease the migration
from ESCON channels to FICON native (FC) channels using dynamic I/O
reconfiguration. Intermixing means it is possible to dynamically add FICON native
(FC) channel paths to a control unit while keeping its devices operational. A
second dynamic I/O reconfiguration change can then remove the ESCON and
FICON Bridge (FCV) channels while keeping the devices operational. Intermixing
should not be considered a long-term configuration option. An example of a
configuration with intermixed FICON native (FC), ESCON and FICON Bridge
(FCV) channels is shown in Figure 130 on page 177.

176 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 zSeries Processor
ESCON (CNC), FICON Bridge (FCV), FICON Native (FC)
Channels Intermixed
80 FE E8 F8 10 F0 E9 F9

CNC FCV FC FC CNC FCV FC FC

FICON
ESCON FICON FICON
Director FICON
Director Bridge Director
FICON Director
0B Bridge 0B 0C 0C 0C
0C 0B 0B

SW-01 SW-02 SW-03 SW-04

FICON
A3 C3 23 13 A3 C3 23 13
ESCON ESCON ESCON Adapters
Adapters Adapters Adapters

CU 1000 DASD Devices

(CUADD 0) 1000 - 10FF

CU 1100 DASD Devices

(CUADD 1) 1100 - 11FF

CU 1200 DASD Devices

(CUADD 2) 1200 - 12FF

CU 1300 DASD Devices

(CUADD 3) 1300 - 13FF

Figure 130. Transitional configuration - CNC, FCV, FC channels intermixed

13.2.2 Link addresses

As with ESCON channel paths, the specification of a link address is optional if
none of the channel paths defined for the control unit attaches to an ESCON or
FICON Director. However, FICON native channel paths not attaching to a FICON
Director must specify link addresses of two asterisks (**).

13.2.3 Logical address (CUADD)

Prior to FICON native channel paths, the logical address for the control unit is
specified as one hexadecimal digit in the range 0 - F for CNC, CTC, and FICON
Bridge (FCV) channel paths. For FICON native (FC) channel paths, the logical
address is specified as two hexadecimal digits in the range 00 - FE. However, if
FC channel paths are mixed with CNC or FICON Bridge (FCV) channel paths on
the same control unit, the logical address for the control unit must be in the range
0 - F.

Not all FICON control units support logical addressing. This characteristic is
discussed in more detail in the definition section of this chapter for each specific
FICON control unit, such as the ESS 2105 in “FICON ESS (2105)” on page 183.

13.2.4 Unit addresses

As for some ESCON-attached control units, some FICON control units require
that the unit address range begin with hex 00. This characteristic is discussed in
more detail in the definition section of this chapter for each specific control unit,
for example, the 3590 in “FICON tape control unit (3590)” on page 185.

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition 177

13.2.5 IOCP resource checking
IOCP polices the resources defined for control units configured on a FICON
native (FC) channel.

The rules checked by IYPIOCP for a zSeries processor are shown in Table 25.
Table 25. IOCP resource checking - FICON control unit - zSeries processors

FICON control unit resources Number

Max # PCUs per LCU 8

Max # CHPIDs per LCU 8

Max # CHPIDs per PCU 8

Max # PCUs per CHPID 256

Max # UA ranges per PCU 1

The rules checked by IZPIOCP for 9672 G5 and G6 processors are shown in
Table 26.
Table 26. IOCP resource checking - FICON control unit - 9672 G5/G6 processors

FICON control unit resources Number

Max # PCUs per LCU 8

Max # CHPIDs per LCU 8

Max # CHPIDs per PCU 8

Max # PCUs per CHPID 255

Max # UA ranges per PCU 1

13.3 FICON device

This section discusses the general considerations for defining a FICON device in
IOCP and HCD. The definition requirements for specific FICON devices, such as
the 3170 FICON printer, are described in subsequent sections of this chapter.

There are no specific definition requirements in IOCP and HCD for a FICON
device, but it should be noted that a FICON native (FC) channel path can support
attachment of more devices (16,384) than an ESCON channel path (1,024).

13.3.1 IOCP resource checking

IOCP polices the resources defined for devices configured on a FICON native
(FC) channel.

The rules checked by IYPIOCP for a zSeries 900 processor are shown in
Table 27.
Table 27. IOCP resource checking - FICON device - zSeries 900 processor

FICON device resources Number

Max # subchannels per LPAR or BASIC 63K

mode

Max # subchannels per processor 512K

178 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FICON device resources Number

Max # CHPIDs per device 8

Max # CUs per device 8

The rules checked by IZPIOCP for 9672 G5 and G6 processors are shown in
Table 28.
Table 28. IOCP resource checking - FICON device - 9672 G5/G6 processor

FICON device resources Number

Max # subchannels per LPAR or BASIC 36,864

mode

Max # subchannels per processor 288K

Max # CHPIDs per device 8

Max # CUs per device 8

13.4 Mapping HCD definition and FICON frame contents

Figure 131 on page 180 shows the source of those elements of the FICON frame
contents that are determined by the HCD definition process.
• The device number is assigned by the customer and defined in HCD.
• The link address (LA) is defined during HCD control unit definition.
• The control unit image (CUADD) is defined during HCD control unit definition.
• The unit address (device address - UA) is defined during HCD device
definition.
• The subchannel number is assigned by the IOCP or Dynamic I/O
Reconfiguration process.
• The image ID is assigned by the customer in the zSeries 900 or 9672 G5/G6
processor Image Profile at the HMC/SE.

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition 179

 zSeries or 9672 zSeries or 9672 Z/OS or OS/390 HCD Definition Customer
Image profile IOCP control unit device Definition

CHPIDs LA CUADD UA

Image Device # Subchannel # Up to 8 paths defined

Subchannel
CHPIDs LA CUADD UA
Path
Selection

FICON Channel
FC-2 and SB-2 Channel S_ID (ddaapp) D_ID (ddAApp) Channel Image CU Image UA
Protocol
Obtained from
Initial Channel
Link Initialization
(FLOGI-ACCEPT)

FICON S_ID + D_ID Channel Image + CU Image + Device Address DIB

Serial Frame
<----- FC-2 -----> <------------------- FC-2 Protocol Payload -------------------->
Header <------------------- SB-2 Header -------------------->
FICON native (FC) mode - Channel to CU communication

Figure 131. Mapping of HCD definition to FICON native (FC) frame contents

13.5 FICON Director (2032)

The architectural characteristics of the FICON Director are described in
Chapter 3, “FICON architecture” on page 17. The specific characteristics of the
McDATA and Inrange FICON Directors are described in Chapter 6, “McDATA
FICON Directors” on page 57 and Chapter 7, “Inrange FC 9000-64 FICON
Director” on page 91. This section describes the resources and definition
requirements for the FICON Director, which is defined to the processor and host
software as a type 2032. This definition information is applicable to both the
McDATA ED-5000 FICON switch and the Inrange FC/9000 FICON switch.

Like the ESCON Director, the 2032 FICON Director supports one device
(UA=x’00’) to address the control unit port, or CUP. It has a single logical control
unit that supports up to 256 logical paths. This information is summarized in
Table 29.
Table 29. 2032 FICON Director (CUP) resources

Resource Number

Maximum number of logical paths 256

Maximum number of devices 1

Unit address base and range x’00’

Number of logical control units 1, id=0

For the ESCON Director, the definition of the CUP to IOCP and HCD remains
optional for the FICON Director. That is, it is not necessary to define the FICON

180 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Director as a device in HCD and IOCP, but without this definition, the following
functions cannot work:
• System Automation for OS/390 (S/A) I/O-Ops, which is used to display the
status of, and manage, the FICON Director
• Some RMF reports, such as the FICON Director Activity report

13.5.1 IOCP definition

Figure 132 shows a sample FICON Director configuration for the purpose of
describing its definition.

zSeries Processor
FICON (FC) Channels
E8 F8 E9 F9 EA FA EB FB

2032
0C 1C 0C 1C 0C 1C 0C 1C
FICON Directors
LSN 08 LSN 09 LSN 0A LSN 0B

09 19 09 19 09 19 09 19
FICON Adapters

CU 2000 DASD 2000-20xx (LCU 0)

CU 2100 DASD 2100-21xx (LCU 1)
CU 2200 DASD 2200-22xx (LCU 2)
CU 2300 DASD 2300-23xx (LCU 3)
CU 2400 DASD 2400-24xx (LCU 4)
CU 2500 DASD 2500-25xx (LCU 5)
CU 2600 DASD 2600-26xx (LCU 6)
CU 2700 DASD 2700-27xx (LCU 7)

Figure 132. Sample FICON Director configuration

The FICON Director must be defined as UNIT=2032. It attaches device type 2032
or SWCH.

The recommendations for defining the FICON Director include:

• Define the 2032 FICON Director as a device.
Although the switch is transparent to the operating system in the path to a
FICON control unit or device during the execution of an I/O operation, it is
recommended that the FICON Director be defined as an I/O device for the
following reasons:
• Error reporting
Switch-related hardware errors are reported to the operating system
against a device number. If the switch is not defined as an I/O device, and
that I/O device is not online to the operating system, then switch-related
errors cannot be surfaced and, therefore, actioned.
• System Automation for OS/390 access

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition 181

 System Automation for OS/390 I/O-Ops (for managing an ESCON and
FICON Directors) provide operational tools for “safe switching”, as well as
displaying routing information for a device. “Safe switching” refers to the
ability to manipulate ports and adjust path status nondisruptively. In order
for S/A I/O-Ops to assure safe switching, it must have access to all
switches. That is, all the switches must be online as I/O devices on all the
systems where S/A I/O-Ops Manager is running.
• Define at least two paths to the 2032 FICON Director I/O device.
Two paths are required for availability. If one of the CHPIDs supporting a path
to the FICON Director is unavailable, then the FICON Director device can
remain accessible over the alternate path.

As with the ESCON Director, the 2032 FICON Director provides a control unit port
(CUP) function. The CUP is identified as (internal) port number ’FE’. The
definition of this control unit port is optional.

The IOCP coding for the sample 2032 FICON Director configuration is shown in
Figure 133.

ID MSG1='2064-112',MSG2='FICON SWITCH INSTALLATION', x

SYSTEM=(2064,1)
. . .
CHPID PATH=(E8,F8),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=08, x
PARTITION=((LPAR1,LPAR2,LPAR3),(LPAR1,LPAR2,LPAR3))
CHPID PATH=(E9,F9),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=09, x
PARTITION=((LPAR1,LPAR2,LPAR3),(LPAR1,LPAR2,LPAR3))
CHPID PATH=(EA,FA),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=0A, x
PARTITION=((LPAR1,LPAR2,LPAR3),(LPAR1,LPAR2,LPAR3))
CHPID PATH=(EB,FB),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=0B, x
PARTITION=((LPAR1,LPAR2,LPAR3),(LPAR1,LPAR2,LPAR3))
. . .
*******************************************************************
** FICON Director CU F008 and Device F008
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=F008,PATH=(E8,F8),UNIT=2032, x
UNITADD=((00,1)),LINK=(FE,FE)
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(F008,1),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(F008), x
UNIT=2032
*******************************************************************
** FICON Director CU F009 and Device F009
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=F009,PATH=(E9,F9),UNIT=2032, x
UNITADD=((00,1)),LINK=(FE,FE)
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(F009,1),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(F009), x
UNIT=2032
*******************************************************************
** FICON Director CU F00A and Device F00A
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=F00A,PATH=(EA,FA),UNIT=2032, x
UNITADD=((00,1)),LINK=(FE,FE)
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(F00A,1),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(F00A), x
UNIT=2032
*******************************************************************
** FICON Director CU F00B and Device F00B
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=F00B,PATH=(EB,FB),UNIT=2032, x
UNITADD=((00,1)),LINK=(FE,FE)
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(F00B,1),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(F00B), x
UNIT=2032

Figure 133. Sample FICON Director IOCP definition

The sample configuration is shown for a zSeries 900 processor with FICON
native (FC) channels connected to four FICON Directors with logical switch
numbers (LSN) 08, 09, 0A, and 0B. Two of these FICON CHPIDs, E8 and F8,

182 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 have been defined as paths to the FICON Director device, device number F008,
and so on.

“FICON Director port configuration worksheet” on page 263, can be used to

assist in planning and installing FICON Directors.

13.6 FICON ESS (2105)

This section describes the definition requirements for the ESS 2105 subsystem
with FICON adapters. For more information on the characteristics of the FICON
ESS 2105, see “IBM 2105” on page 109.

A sample configuration is shown in Figure 134.

zSeries Processor
FICON (FC) Channels
E8 F8 E9 F9 EA FA EB FB

0C 1C 0C 1C 0C 1C 0C 1C
LSN 08 LSN 09 LSN 0A LSN0 B
FICON Directors

09 19 09 19 09 19 09 19
FICON Adapters

CU 2000 DASD 2000-20xx (LCU 0)

CU 2100 DASD 2100-21xx (LCU 1)
CU 2200 DASD 2200-22xx (LCU 2)
CU 2300 DASD 2300-23xx (LCU 3)
CU 2400 DASD 2400-24xx (LCU 4)
CU 2500 DASD 2500-25xx (LCU 5)
CU 2600 DASD 2600-26xx (LCU 6)
CU 2700 DASD 2700-27xx (LCU 7)

Figure 134. Sample ESS 2105 FICON configuration

13.6.1 IOCP definition

Figure 135 on page 184 shows a sample IOCP definition for an ESS 2105
subsystem with eight paths, matching the configuration above in Figure 134.

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition 183

 ID MSG1='2064-112', x
MSG2='ESS 2105 NATIVE FICON CONFIGURATION', x
SYSTEM=(2064,1)
RESOURCE PARTITION=((LP1,1),(LP2,2),(LP3,3))
CHPID PATH=(E8,F8),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=08, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
CHPID PATH=(E9,F9),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=09, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
CHPID PATH=(EA,FA),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=0A, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
CHPID PATH=(EB,FB),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=0B, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
*******************************************************************
** DASD CU 2000 and Devices 2000 to 207F
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=2000,PATH=(E8,F8,E9,F9,EA,FA,EB,FB),CUADD=0, x
UNITADD=((00,128)),LINK=(09,29,09,29,09,29,09,29),UNIT=2105
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2000,16),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(2000), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390B
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2010,112),UNITADD=10,CUNUMBR=(2000), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390A
*******************************************************************
** DASD CU 2100 and Devices 2100 to 217F
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=2101,PATH=(E8,F8,E9,F9,EA,FA,EB,FB),CUADD=1, x
UNITADD=((00,128)),LINK=(09,29,09,29,09,29,09,29),UNIT=2105
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2100,16),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(2100), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390B
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2110,112),UNITADD=10,CUNUMBR=(2100), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390A
*******************************************************************
** DASD CU 2200 and Devices 2200 to 227F
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=2200,PATH=(E8,F8,E9,F9,EA,FA,EB,FB),CUADD=2, x
UNITADD=((00,128)),LINK=(09,29,09,29,09,29,09,29),UNIT=2105
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2200,16),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(2200), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390B
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2210,112),UNITADD=10,CUNUMBR=(2200), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390A
*******************************************************************
** DASD CU 2300 and Devices 2300 to 237F
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=2300,PATH=(E8,F8,E9,F9,EA,FA,EB,FB),CUADD=3, x
UNITADD=((00,128)),LINK=(09,29,09,29,09,29,09,29),UNIT=2105
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2300,16),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(2300), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390B
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2310,112),UNITADD=10,CUNUMBR=(2300), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390A
*******************************************************************
** DASD CU 2400 and Devices 2400 to 247F
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=2400,PATH=(E8,F8,E9,F9,EA,FA,EB,FB),CUADD=4, x
UNITADD=((00,128)),LINK=(09,29,09,29,09,29,09,29),UNIT=2105
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2400,16),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(2400), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390B
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2410,112),UNITADD=10,CUNUMBR=(2400), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390A
*******************************************************************
** DASD CU 2500 and Devices 2500 to 257F
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=2500,PATH=(E8,F8,E9,F9,EA,FA,EB,FB),CUADD=5, x
UNITADD=((00,128)),LINK=(09,29,09,29,09,29,09,29),UNIT=2105
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2500,16),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(2500), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390B
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2510,112),UNITADD=10,CUNUMBR=(2500), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390A
*******************************************************************
** DASD CU 2600 and Devices 2600 to 267F
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=2600,PATH=(E8,F8,E9,F9,EA,FA,EB,FB),CUADD=6, x
UNITADD=((00,128)),LINK=(09,29,09,29,09,29,09,29),UNIT=2105
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2600,16),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(2600), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390B
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2610,112),UNITADD=10,CUNUMBR=(2600), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390A
*******************************************************************
** DASD CU 2700 and Devices 2700 to 277F
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=2700,PATH=(E8,F8,E9,F9,EA,FA,EB,FB),CUADD=7, x
UNITADD=((00,128)),LINK=(09,29,09,29,09,29,09,29),UNIT=2105
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2700,16),UNITADD=00,CUNUMBR=(2700), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390B
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(2710,112),UNITADD=10,CUNUMBR=(2700), x
STADET=Y,UNIT=3390A

Figure 135. IOCP definition for a FICON ESS 2105 subsystem with eight LCUs

184 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

13.6.2 HCD definition
The UIM for the FICON ESS 2105 subsystem is CBDUS002, shipped in APAR
OW34073. The PTFs for this APAR are shown in Table 30.
Table 30. DFSMS UIM support for FICON ESS 2105 Model F20

DFSMS Release PTF Number

1C0 UW57198

1D0 UW57199

1E0 UW57200

13.7 FICON tape control unit (3590)

This section describes the resources and definition requirements of the
3590-A60, which supports attachment to FICON channels. For more information
on the characteristics of the FICON 3590, refer to “IBM 3590 Model A60” on
page 113.

zSeries Processor zSeries Processor

FICON (FC) Channels FICON (FC) Channels
E9 F9 E1 F1

1C 0C 1C 0C

LSN 09 FICON Directors LSN 0A

08 08
FICON Adapters

CU 6000
(LCU 0)

FICON 3590 Device 6000

Device 6001
Device 6002

Figure 136. Sample 3590 FICON configuration

The diagram in Figure 136 shows a sample configuration for 3590 with FICON
attachment.

13.7.1 IOCP definition

The IOCP definition for the sample FICON 3590 configuration shown above is
listed in Figure 137 on page 186.

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition 185

 ID MSG1='2064-112', x
MSG2='Native FICON 3590 Installation', x
SYSTEM=(2064,1)
RESOURCE PARTITION=((LP1,1),(LP2,2),(LP3,3))
. . .
CHPID PATH=(E9),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=09, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
CHPID PATH=(F9),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=0A, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
. . .
*******************************************************************
** FICON 3590 CU 6000 and Devices 6000-600F
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=6000,PATH=(E9,F9),UNIT=3590, x
UNITADD=((40,2)),LINK=(08,08)
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(6000,16),UNITADD=40,CUNUMBR=(3500), x
UNIT=3590

Figure 137. Sample FICON 3590 IOCP definition

13.7.2 HCD definition

The UIM for the FICON 3590 CBDUS005 is shipped in APAR OW43574.

13.8 FICON printer (3170)

This section describes the definition requirements for the FICON-capable IBM
3170. For more information about the characteristics of the FICON 3170, refer to
“IBM 3170” on page 117.

Figure 138 shows a sample FICON configuration for the 3170 Infoprint Color 130
Plus. The 3170 is accessed by two different images.

zSeries Processor zSeries Processor

FICON (FC) Channels FICON (FC) Channels
E9 F9 E1 F1

1C 0C 1C 0C

LSN 09 FICON Directors LSN 0A

05 05
FICON Adapters

CU 4100
(LCU 0)

3170
Infoprint Color 130
Device 4100

Figure 138. 3170 Infoprint Color 130 Plus FICON configuration

186 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

13.8.1 IOCP definition
The IOCP definition for the sample 3170 configuration shown in Figure 138 on
page 186 is listed in Figure 139.

ID MSG1='2064-112', x
MSG2='Native FICON 3170 Printer Installation', x
SYSTEM=(2064,1)
RESOURCE PARTITION=((LP1,1),(LP2,2),(LP3,3))
. . .
CHPID PATH=(E9),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=09, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
CHPID PATH=(F9),TYPE=FC,SHARED,SWITCH=0A, x
PARTITION=((LP1,LP2,LP3),(LP1,LP2,LP3))
. . .
*******************************************************************
** Printer CU 4100 and Devices 4100, 4101
*******************************************************************
CNTLUNIT CUNUMBR=4100,PATH=(E9,F9),UNIT=3170, x
UNITADD=((40,2)),LINK=(05,05)
IODEVICE ADDRESS=(4100,2),UNITADD=40,CUNUMBR=(4100), x
UNIT=3170

Figure 139. Sample FICON 3170 IOCP definition

13.8.2 HCD definition

UIM CBDUS022, shipped in Print Services Facility (PSF) 3.2.0 for OS/390,
supports the FICON 3170.

Figure 140 shows the HCD Add Device panel for defining the FICON 3170 printer.

Add Device

Specify or revise the following values.

Device number . . . . . . . . 4100 (0000 - FFFF)

Number of devices . . . . . . 2___
Device type . . . . . . . . . 3170_________ +

Serial number . . . . . . . . __________

Description . . . . . . . . . InfoPrint Color 130 Plus________

Volume serial number . . . . . ______ (for DASD)

Connected to CUs . . ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ +

F1=Help F2=Split F3=Exit F4=Prompt F5=Reset F9=Swap

F12=Cancel

Figure 140. HCD Add Device panel - FICON 3170-3A printer definition

The device is defined as device type 3170. Figure 141 on page 188 shows the
association of device number 4100 with control unit number 4100, defined as type
AFP1, during the HCD device definition process. Defining the control unit as type
AFP1 is recommended because it is a generic type.

Chapter 13. FICON I/O definition 187

 Add Device

Specify or revise the following values.

Device number . . . . . . . : 4100 (0000 - FFFF)

Device type . . . . . . . . : 3170

Serial number . . . . . . . . __________ +

Description . . . . . . . . . ________________________________

Volume serial nu Available Control Units

Row 1 of 3
Connected to CUs Command ===> _____________________________ +

ENTER to continu Select one.

F1=Help F2= CU Number Type Ports Available

F12=Cancel 1000 AFP1 Yes
/ 4100 AFP1 Yes
************** Bottom of data **************

F1=Help F2=Split F3=Exit

F7=Backward F8=Forward F9=Swap
F12=Cancel

Figure 141. HCD Available Control Units panel - FICON 3170-3A printer definition

Figure 142 shows the default device parameters selected for the FICON 3170 on
the HCD View Device Parameter/Feature Definition panel.

View Device Parameter / Feature Definition

Row 1 of 3
Command ===> ___________________________________________ Scroll ===> PAGE

Configuration ID . : L06RMVS1 Sysplex systems

Device number . . : 4100 Device type . . . : 3170
Generic / VM device type . . . . : AFP1

ENTER to continue.

Parameter/
Feature Value Req. Description
OFFLINE No Device considered online or offline at IPL
DYNAMIC Yes Device supports dynamic configuration
BURSTER No Burster-Trimmer-Stacker
***************************** Bottom of data ******************************

F1=Help F2=Split F3=Exit F7=Backward F8=Forward

F9=Swap F12=Cancel

Figure 142. HCD View Device panel - FICON 3170 printer definition

188 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Chapter 14. FICON migration
This chapter discusses the hardware and software considerations for migration
from an ESCON or FICON Bridge (FCV) environment to a FICON native (FC)
environment.

It describes the changes to non-IBM software channel programs that may be

required to perform optimally in a FICON environment. Note that the introduction
of FICON native (FC) channels is transparent to software and programs that use
standard software interfaces.

It also describes requirements for some vendor-written UIMs to support FICON.

Scenarios for migration from an ESCON or FICON Bridge (FCV) environment to a

FICON native (FC) environment are also included.

14.1 Hardware considerations

This section describes the hardware considerations for migration to a FICON
native (FC) environment.

14.1.1 FICON processors

The IBM S/390 G5 and G6 and zSeries 900 servers support FICON native
attachment at the following microcode levels:
• S/390 G5 - Driver 26W (FCS EC F99907)
• S/390 G6 - Driver 26W (FCS EC F99907)
• zSeries 900 - Driver 38G (FCS EC F25105)

We recommend that the latest available MCLs are installed.

14.1.2 FICON Directors

• McDATA ED-5000 FICON Directors support FICON native (FC mode)
attachments of FICON processors and control units with the following
microcode levels at the time of writing this book:
• ED-5000 microcode level 03:02.00
• EFC Manager level: 04.00.00.8
Contact your 2032 model 001 support to get the latest levels.
• McDATA ED-6064 FICON Directors Release 1.0 support FICON native (FC
mode) attachments of FICON processors and control units at the time of
writing this book. Contact your 2032-064 support to get the latest levels.
• Inrange FC/9000-64/128 FICON Directors microcode level 2.1.5.0 is the
General Availability level. Contact your 2042 support to get the latest level.

14.1.3 FICON control units

• Contact your ESS 2105 models F10/F20 support for FICON support
microcode level information.
• The minimum 3590-A60 Tape Controller microcode level to support the FICON
attachment is 1.12.4.2. Nevertheless, we recommend that the latest fixes be

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 189

 installed. IBM Customer Service Representatives (CSR) can refer to the
following Web site for more information:
http://snjlnt02.sanjose.ibm.com/tape/tapetec.nsf/
• Contact your 3170 Model 005 Printer support to get FICON support microcode
level information.

14.2 Software considerations

This section discusses the software considerations for migration to a FICON
native (FC) environment.

14.2.1 Channel programming considerations

IBM software has been modified to take full advantage of the performance
benefits of command and data prefetching and pipelining with FICON channels.
The I/O requests of applications that use standard I/O interfaces automatically
benefit from CCW and data prefetching and pipelining also, because they cannot
be self-modifying. However, it is necessary to check in-house and ISV software to
determine that it will continue to operate optimally in a FICON native (FC)
environment. If the standard IBM programming interfaces are used, then the
transition to FICON is transparent. However, programs that build their own
channel programs should be reviewed with the following considerations in mind:
• Can the program take advantage of command and data prefetching and
pipelining?
• Does the program require read-write transition synchronization?
• Does the program require PCI synchronization?

CCW and data prefetch

The Fibre Channel architecture provides for prefetching and pipelining of CCW
commands and data which allow more efficient I/O. However, prefetching may
cause problems for self-modifying channel programs and for recovery routines
which restart a failed read CCW from the point of failure. Some software
components, such as the Auxiliary Storage Manager (ASM) and Standalone
Dump, only modify their channel programs to change ending NOOP CCWs to TIC
CCWs. This modification does not cause a problem since this condition (a
non-command-chained NOOP CCW) is detected and handled by the FICON
channel.

Other self-modifying channel programs alter CCWs as a result of channel

program execution. For example, a CCW in a channel program may read data
into a buffer that is used by a CCW later in the same CCW chain.

For more information on the FICON channel operation and the software controls,
refer to “CCW and data prefetch and pipelining” on page 208.

Synchronization of read-write transition

The FICON channel synchronizes on the transition from an input to output
operation within the channel program. That is, whenever the current command in
execution in the FICON channel is an input operation (read) and a subsequent
fetched CCW describes an output operation (write), the FICON channel indicates
to the control unit that status must be presented at the completion of the input
operation by the device. This is required to guarantee data integrity.

190 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Being able to override the synchronization that occurs on transition from read
CCWs to write CCWs improves the performance of the I/O operation and allows
maximum benefits to be gained from the CCW and data prefetching and
pipelining capabilities of the FICON channel. However, overriding the
synchronization on read-to-write transitions should only be specified if the buffers
used for reading are separate to those used for writing, or the read channel
programs are separate from the write channel programs.

For more information on the FICON channel synchronization and the software
controls, refer to “Synchronization of read-to-write transition” on page 211.

PCI synchronization
The FICON channel performs PCI synchronization on CCWs that specify a PCI
(Program Controlled Interrupt). This is known as modification control. When the
FICON channel executes a command with the PCI and command-chain flags set
to one in the CCW, command synchronization is forced for the subsequent
command by setting the “Synchronize Send Status” (SSS) flag. The channel
subsystem temporarily suspends command chaining and does not fetch the next
command-chained CCW until after normal ending status is received from the
device for the last command that had been sent.

Modification control provides the capability to optimize dynamically modified

channel programs that use the PCI flag in the CCW to initiate channel program
modification. It allows the program to delay the channel subsystem fetching and
transfer of commands until after status is received for the command following the
command with the PCI bit set.

On systems where FICON channels are supported, overriding the

synchronization that occurs on PCI interrupts improves the performance of the
I/O operation and allows maximum benefits to be gained from the CCW and data
prefetching and pipelining capabilities of the FICON channel. However, overriding
PCI synchronization should only be specified if the PCI interrupt is not used to
modify the CCW chain following the CCW where the PCI is requested.

For more information on the FICON channel operation and synchronization, refer
to “PCI synchronization” on page 213.

14.2.2 Vendor UIMs

In support of FICON, including FICON Bridge (FCV), the length of the device
class extension portion of the UCB for tape devices was increased. If the
installation has OEM tape drives or other hardware products that are defined in
HCD as tape devices, such as Channel Extenders and some optical devices, and
those products use vendor-written Unit Information Modules (UIMs), then the
OEM hardware vendor must be contacted to obtain the latest version of the UIM
that supports FICON.

14.3 Migration recommendations

When planning the migration from an existing ESCON or FICON Bridge (FCV)
configuration to a FICON native (FC) configuration, consider the following rules:
• Configure at least two channel paths to a logical control unit for high
availability. (More channel paths may be required depending on throughput
requirements.)

Chapter 14. FICON migration 191

 • A logical control unit or device cannot be defined to be accessed more than
once from the same channel path.
• A physical control unit that has multiple logical control units (specified by the
CUADD parameter in IOCP/HCD) may be accessed more than once from the
same FICON (FC) channel path, but the access is to different CUADDs
(different logical control units) within the physical control unit.
• Configure the channel paths according to the quantity of resources available
in the FICON channel and control unit.

ESCON Channels FICON (FC) Channels

Migration
ESCON FICON
Director to Valid Director
Configuration

ESCON FICON
Interfaces Interfaces

Disk Disk Disk Disk

Subsystem Subsystem Subsystem Subsystem

Figure 143. ESCON (CNC) to FICON native (FC) migration

Figure 143 shows a valid migration from ESCON (CNC) channels to FICON
native (FC) channels. There are four paths from the operating system image to
the disk subsystem in both the ESCON configuration and the FICON
configuration, but the advantages of the FICON configuration include:
• more concurrent I/Os to the same control unit
• concurrent I/Os with other control units

192 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 ESCON Channels FICON (FC) Channels

Migration
ESCON Invalid FICON
Director Configuration Director

xx xx

ESCON FICON
Interfaces Interfaces
x x x x
Disk Disk Disk Disk
Subsystem Subsystem Subsystem Subsystem

Figure 144. ESCON (CNC) to FICON native (FC) invalid migration

As Figure 144 shows, when migrating access to a control unit from ESCON
(CNC) channels to FICON native (FC) channels, it is not possible to aggregate
two or more ESCON channel paths that access the same logical control unit into
only one FICON native (FC) channel path. This rule applies to ESCON, FICON
Bridge (FCV) and FICON native (FC) channels.

14.4 Migration scenario #1 - ESCON to FICON native (FC)

When planning the migration to FICON native (FC) channels, it is necessary to
observe the limits of the FICON resources provided by the FICON native (FC)
channel, FICON Director and the FICON control unit.

Consider the ESCON configuration shown in Figure 145.

In this ESCON configuration, each image on each of the four CECs has eight
paths to each logical control unit (LCU) on two ESS D/T2105 subsystems. The
paths are configured through four ESCON Directors, each with 248 ports. This
configuration requires the following resources:
• 32 ESCON (CNC) channels per CEC
• 40 ESCON Director ports per ESCON Director (32 for channels, eight for CU
adapters)
• 16 ESCON adapters per control unit. Only eight of the 16 adapters can be
used to access a specific logical control unit from any logical partition, and
there are eight logical control units per physical control unit.

Chapter 14. FICON migration 193

 ESCON Channel Paths
CEC 1 CEC 2 CEC 3 CEC 4

LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3

32 CNC (SHR) 32 CNC (SHR) 32 CNC (SHR) 32 CNC (SHR)

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

8 8 8 8 8 8
8 8 8 8
8 8 8 8
248 8 248 248 8 248
ESCD 1 ESCD 2 ESCD 3 ESCD 4
Ports Ports Ports Ports

ESCON ESCON
Ports Ports

CU 1000 Disk 1000-10FF (LCU 0) CU 2000 Disk 2000-20FF (LCU 0)

CU 1100 Disk 1100-11FF (LCU 1) CU 2100 Disk 2100-21FF (LCU 1)

CU 1200 Disk 1200-12FF (LCU 2) CU 2200 Disk 2200-22FF (LCU 2)

CU 1300 Disk 1300-13FF (LCU 3) CU 2300 Disk 2300-23FF (LCU 3)

CU 1400 Disk 1400-14FF (LCU 4) CU 2400 Disk 2400-24FF (LCU 4)

CU 1500 Disk 1500-15FF (LCU 5) CU 2500 Disk 2500-25FF (LCU 5)

CU 1600 Disk 1600-16FF (LCU 6) CU 2600 Disk 2600-26FF (LCU 6)

CU 1700 Disk 1700-17FF (LCU 7) CU 2700 Disk 2700-27FF (LCU 7)

Control Unit 1 Control Unit 2

Figure 145. Migration scenario #1 - sample ESCON configuration

The maximum I/O connectivity for a single ESCON channel in this configuration
includes only one control unit link with its 1,024 device address limitation. Each
control unit adapter can access four logical control units, each with 256 volumes
(4 x 256 = 1,024).

A single ESCON channel can do only one active I/O operation to one of the four
logical control units at a time.

A sample FICON native (FC) migration configuration for this ESCON

configuration is shown in Figure 146. In this configuration, each of the three
logical partitions on each of the four CECs still has eight paths to each LCU on
two ESS D/T2105 subsystems. The paths, over FICON native (FC) channels, are
configured through two 64-port FICON Directors. Each CEC has eight FICON
native (FC) channels, which are shared by all images which access all LCUs.

194 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FICON native (FC) Channel Paths
CEC 1 CEC 2 CEC 3 CEC 4

LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3

8 FC (SHR) 8 FC (SHR) 8 FC (SHR) 8 FC (SHR)

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

4 4 4 4
4 4 4
FICON 64 4 64 FICON
Director #1 Ports Ports Director #2

FICON FICON
Ports Ports

CU 1000 Disk 1000-10FF (LCU 0) CU 2000 Disk 2000-20FF (LCU 0)

CU 1100 Disk 1100-11FF (LCU 1) CU 2100 Disk 2100-21FF (LCU 1)

CU 1200 Disk 1200-12FF (LCU 2) CU 2200 Disk 2200-22FF (LCU 2)

CU 1300 Disk 1300-13FF (LCU 3) CU 2300 Disk 2300-23FF (LCU 3)

CU 1400 Disk 1400-14FF (LCU 4) CU 2400 Disk 2400-24FF (LCU 4)

CU 1500 Disk 1500-15FF (LCU 5) CU 2500 Disk 2500-25FF (LCU 5)

CU 1600 Disk 1600-16FF (LCU 6) CU 2600 Disk 2600-26FF (LCU 6)

CU 1700 Disk 1700-17FF (LCU 7) CU 2700 Disk 2700-27FF (LCU 7)

Control Unit 1 Control Unit 2

Figure 146. Migration scenario #1 - sample FICON native (FC) configuration

There are two control units, each with eight FICON adapters and eight logical
control units configured. All adapters can be used by all logical control units
(conforming to the maximum of eight paths per LCU limit) and each logical control
unit has 256 device addresses. All control unit FICON host adapters are
connected through two FICON Directors.

There are two FICON Directors and each is connected to four FICON native (FC)
channels of each CEC, resulting in 16 ports on each switch for channel
connectivity. Each of the FICON Directors is also connected to four adapters of
each control unit, resulting in 24 ports in total for each switch.

The resources used by this configuration are:

• 8 FICON native (FC) channels per CEC
• 24 FICON Director ports per FICON Director (16 for channels, 8 for CU
adapters)
• 8 FICON adapters per control unit
• Number of subchannels per image = 4,096
This part of the configuration has 4,096 subchannels per image, as there are
two control units, each control unit has eight logical control units and 256
devices (the maximum) per logical control unit (2 x 8 x 256 = 4,096).
The maximum number of subchannels is CEC dependent. The zSeries 900
processor supports up to 63K subchannels per image, and the 9672 G5 and
G6 processors support up to 36K subchannels per image.

Chapter 14. FICON migration 195

 • Number of subchannels per CEC = 12,288
This part of the configuration has all three images accessing all devices from
all logical control units, so the number of subchannels per CEC is three times
the number of subchannels per image (3 x 4,096 = 12,288). Note that this
number does not take into consideration any ESS PAV alias devices that may
be configured. Each ESS PAV alias device requires a subchannel.
The maximum number of subchannels is CEC dependent. The zSeries 900
processor supports up to 512K per CEC, while the 9672 G5 and G6
processors support up to 288K subchannels per CEC.
• Number of subchannels per FICON native (FC) channel
As each FICON native (FC) channel is connected to all eight logical control
units on each control unit, and each logical control unit has 256 devices (the
maximum), the number of subchannels per channel is 4,096, or 4K (2 x 8 x
256).
The maximum number of devices per FICON native (FC) channel is 16,384
(16K) for both the zSeries 900 processor and the 9672 G5/G6 processors.

The control unit resources used in this environment include:

• Number of Fibre Channel N_Port logins per adapter = 4
There are four CECs and all control unit host adapters are accessed by a
channel to all CECs, so there are four N_Port logins per control unit adapter.
The maximum number of N_Port logins is control unit dependent. For
example, the IBM FICON ESS 2105 subsystem supports up to 128 N_Port
logins per control unit FICON host adapter.
• Number of logical paths per control unit host adapter = 96
There are 12 images and each image has eight logical paths through a control
unit FICON adapter, one per logical control unit.
The maximum number of logical paths per control unit host adapter is control
unit dependent. For example, the IBM FICON ESS 2105 subsystem supports
up to 256 logical paths per host FICON adapter.
• Number of logical paths per logical control unit = 96
There are eight paths per logical control unit for each host image. In all four
CECs there are 12 images, so there are 96 (8 x 12) logical paths per logical
control unit.
The maximum number of logical paths per logical control unit is control unit
dependent. As an example, the IBM ESS 2105 subsystem supports up to 128
logical paths per logical control unit.

So this FICON native (FC) configuration is within the FICON resource limits and
in fact requires less channel and connectivity resources than the corresponding
ESCON configuration. In this migration scenario, four ESCON CHPIDs have
been aggregated into one FICON CHPID.

The remainder of this section discusses the considerations for the connectivity
and I/O operation concurrency of this FICON configuration. A single FICON
channel uses a dynamic connection in the FICON Director, which provides
concurrent access to both control units. Each control unit FICON adapter can
access any of the eight configured logical control units.

196 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 So this single FICON native (FC) channel can have I/O operations to all 16 logical
control units at the same time, by using the FICON protocol frame multiplexing,
FICON IU multiplexing, and CCW and data pipelining.

This also means that this FICON native (FC) channel is addressing 4,096
volumes (256 volumes per logical control unit). The FICON implementation
allows up to 16,384 device addresses per FICON channel.

FICON’s IU multiplexing, pipelining and frame multiplexing also allows multiple

I/O operations to the same logical control unit. As a result, multiple I/O operations
can be done concurrently to any logical control unit, even within the same control
unit. By using IBM ESS’s Parallel Access Volume (PAV) function, multiple
concurrent I/O operations are possible even to the same volume.

14.4.0.1 Comparing I/O operation concurrency

Table 31 compares the resources and I/O concurrency numbers of the ESCON
and FICON multi-system configurations shown.
Table 31. Resources and I/O concurrency

ESCON FICON

Number of channels per CEC 32 8

Number of adapters per control unit 16 8

Number of ports per Director 40 (x 4 switches) 24 (x 2 switches)

Number of concurrent I/Os per CEC 32 Multiple per channel:

if 8 concurrently = 64
if 4 concurrently = 32

Number of concurrent I/Os per control unit 16 Multiple per adapter:

if 8 concurrently = 64
if 4 concurrently = 32

The actual number of concurrent I/O operations per CEC depends on the FICON
channel implementation on the CEC, and the actual number of concurrent I/O
operations per control unit also depends on the FICON adapter implementation
on the control unit.

As an example, Table 31 is comparing the FICON and ESCON I/O concurrency

assuming that channels and adapters can have four or eight concurrent I/O
operations.

Using four times less FICON channels than ESCON channels, the FICON
configuration can have more concurrent I/O operations in each control unit and in
each CEC.

14.5 Migration scenario #2 - control unit resources exceeded

In the following migration scenario, the starting configuration is the ESCON
configuration shown in Figure 147.

Chapter 14. FICON migration 197

 Remote ESCON Configuration
CEC 1 CEC 2 CEC 3 CEC 4

LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3

32 CNC (SHR) 32 CNC (SHR) 32 CNC (SHR) 32 CNC (SHR)

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

8 8 8 8 8 8
8 8 8 8
8 8 8
248 248 8 248 248
8 8
ESCD 1 ESCD 2 ESCD 3 ESCD 4
Ports Ports Ports Ports

ESCON ESCON
Ports Ports

CU 1000 Disk 1000-10FF (LCU 0) CU 2000 Disk 2000-20FF (LCU 0)

CU 1100 Disk 1100-11FF (LCU 1) CU 2100 Disk 2100-21FF (LCU 1)

CU 1200 Disk 1200-12FF (LCU 2) CU 2200 Disk 2200-22FF (LCU 2)

CU 1300 Disk 1300-13FF (LCU 3) CU 2300 Disk 2300-23FF (LCU 3)

CU 1400 Disk 1400-14FF (LCU 4) CU 2400 Disk 2400-24FF (LCU 4)

CU 1500 Disk 1500-15FF (LCU 5) CU 2500 Disk 2500-25FF (LCU 5)

CU 1600 Disk 1600-16FF (LCU 6) CU 2600 Disk 2600-26FF (LCU 6)

CU 1700 Disk 1700-17FF (LCU 7) CU 2700 Disk 2700-27FF (LCU 7)

Control Unit 1 Control Unit 2

Figure 147. Migration scenario #2 - remote ESCON configuration

This configuration uses the following resources:

• 32 ESCON (CNC) channels per CEC
• 40 ESCON Director ports per ESCON Director (32 for channels, 8 for CU
adapters)
• 16 ESCON adapters per control unit.

The target FICON installation is to have six CECs installed - three CECs are in
one machine room, and three CECs are in a machine room at another location. A
poorly-designed (over-defined) FICON native (FC) configuration is shown in
Figure 148. There are 18 host images (three on each of the six CECs), and each
image is configured with eight paths per control unit LCU. Therefore, the total
number of logical paths configured (18* 8 = 144) exceeds the capacity of a logical
control unit. The FICON ESS 2105 control unit shown supports up to 128 logical
paths per LCU. Note that the same problem of an over-defined configuration can
also occur in an ESCON environment.

198 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

FICON (FC) Paths - CU Resources Exceeded VARY PATH(dddd,cc),ONLINE
IEE714I PATH(dddd,cc) NOT OPERATIONAL
CEC 1 CEC 2 CEC 3 CEC 4 CEC 5 CEC 6

LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3

8 FC (SHR) 8 FC (SHR) 8 FC (SHR) 8 FC (SHR) 8 FC (SHR) 8 FC (SHR)

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

FICON 64 64 FICON
Director #1 Ports Ports Director #2

FICON FICON
Ports Ports

CU 1000 Disk 1000-10FF (LCU 0) CU 2000 Disk 2000-20FF (LCU 0)

CU 1100 Disk 1100-11FF (LCU 1) CU 2100 Disk 2100-21FF (LCU 1)

CU 1200 Disk 1200-12FF (LCU 2) CU 2200 Disk 2200-22FF (LCU 2)

CU 1300 Disk 1300-13FF (LCU 3) CU 2300 Disk 2300-23FF (LCU 3)

CU 1400 Disk 1400-14FF (LCU 4) CU 2400 Disk 2400-24FF (LCU 4)

CU 1500 Disk 1500-15FF (LCU 5) CU 2500 Disk 2500-25FF (LCU 5)

CU 1600 Disk 1600-16FF (LCU 6) CU 2600 Disk 2600-26FF (LCU 6)

CU 1700 Disk 1700-17FF (LCU 7) CU 2700 Disk 2700-27FF (LCU 7)

Control Unit 1 Control Unit 2

Figure 148. Migration scenario #2 - FICON CU resources exceeded

Let’s assume that two more CECs are now required, each of them having three
images, resulting in a total number of 18 images. The new control unit resource
calculations are:
• Number of N_Port logins per adapter = 6
Now there are 6 CECs and all control unit adapters are connected to all CECs,
so there are 6 N_Port logins per control unit adapter.
This number is significantly less than the ESS 2105 limit, which is 128 N_Port
logins per control unit port.
• Number of logical paths per adapter = 72
There are 18 images and each image has four logical paths to a control unit
FICON adapter.
The IBM ESS 2105 limit is 256 logical paths per FICON adapter.
• Number of logical paths per logical control unit = 144
There are eight paths per logical control unit for each host image. In all six
CECs there are 18 images, so 144 (8 x 18) logical paths per logical control
unit.
This number is higher than the ESS 2105 limit, which is 128 logical paths per
logical control unit.

This is an example of an over-defined migration configuration that will have

problems because it cannot have more than 128 logical paths online to any
logical control unit. Any attempt to vary online more logical paths will fail.

Chapter 14. FICON migration 199

 The problem with the over-defined configuration may not surface until an attempt
is made to vary online paths to the devices beyond the already established limit
of logical paths for the logical control unit or the adapter. The following message
is issued to reject the vary path processing:

VARY PATH(dddd,cc),ONLINE
IEE714I PATH(dddd,cc) NOT OPERATIONAL

Note that there is no additional indication of the cause of the "not operational"
condition. To identify the source of the problem, it is necessary to display the
Analyze Serial Link Status frame in the CHPID Problem Determination Task at
the HMC. Refer to “zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 channel problem determination
panels” on page 229. In this scenario, the panel shows the text “CU resources
exceeded” for the logical path to the over-defined logical control unit that cannot
be established. In this case, the ICKDSF logical path report can be run to identify
which channel images have established logical paths to the logical control unit.
Refer to “ICKDSF logical paths report” on page 249 for information on
interpretting the report.

In order to overcome this problem, the number of paths for some less important
images should be reduced from eight.

14.6 Migration Steps

This section describes the steps for migration from an ESCON or FICON Bridge
(FCV) environment to a FICON native (FC) environment for each of the
FICON-capable control units.

14.6.1 FICON 2105

FICON is supported on the ESS 2105 models F10 and F20 only.

Migration to FICON is by one of the following procedures:

• Upgrade from an ESS 2105 model E to model F with FICON adapters
The upgrade from a model E to F is disruptive.
• Upgrade an existing ESS 2105 model F to FICON.

If the current ESS 2105 subsystem is an F model with ESCON adapters, the
migration to a FICON configuration is straightforward. The migration steps are
described in this section.

Keep in mind that although ESCON and FICON paths can co-exist in the same
path group (that is, the set of paths to one operating system image) on the ESS
2105 F models, the intermixed path group configuration is only supported for the
duration of the migration. The ESS 2105 F models fully support an intermix
configuration of ESCON and FICON adapters; the limitation applies only to the
intermix of ESCON and FICON paths in a path group, that is, intermixed paths to
the same operating system image.

A sample ESCON configuration is shown in Figure 149. Each image on each of

the four CECs has eight ESCON channel paths to each ESS LCU. Four paths are
cabled through ESCON Director #2 and four through ESCON Director #3.

200 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 CEC 1 CEC 2 CEC 3 CEC 4

LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3

32 CNC (SHR) 32 CNC (SHR) 32 CNC (SHR) 32 CNC (SHR)

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

8 8
8 8
8
8
8 ESCON
248 8 248
8 Ports ESCD 2 ESCD 3 8 Ports
Channel Paths

ESCON
Ports

CU 1000 Disk 1000-10FF (LCU 0)

CU 1100 Disk 1100-11FF (LCU 1)

CU 1200 Disk 1200-12FF (LCU 2)

CU 1300 Disk 1300-13FF (LCU 3)

CU 1400 Disk 1400-14FF (LCU 4)

CU 1500 Disk 1500-15FF (LCU 5)

CU 1600 Disk 1600-16FF (LCU 6)

CU 1700 Disk 1700-17FF (LCU 7)

Figure 149. Sample ESS 2105 Model F20 with ESCON adapters

The customer plans to install four FICON channels per CEC and four FICON
adapters on the ESS. The interim migration configuration is shown in Figure 150.
In the interim configuration, the same images can access the ESS devices over a
combination of both ESCON and FICON paths. This configuration is only
supported for the duration of the migration to FICON.

Chapter 14. FICON migration 201

 ESCON/FICON Intermixed Channel Paths
CEC 1 CEC 2 CEC 3 CEC 4

LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3

FC CNC FC FC CNC FC FC CNC FC FC CNC FC

2 8 8 2 2 8 8 2 2 8 8 2 2 8 8 2

8 8
8 8
8 8 8
64 FICON 248 8 248 FICON 64
Ports Director #1 Ports ESCD 2 ESCD 3 Ports Director #2 Ports

FICON ESCON
Ports Ports

CU 1000 Disk 1000-10FF (LCU 0)

CU 1100 Disk 1100-11FF (LCU 1)

CU 1200 Disk 1200-12FF (LCU 2)

CU 1300 Disk 1300-13FF (LCU 3)

CU 1400 Disk 1400-14FF (LCU 4)

CU 1500 Disk 1500-15FF (LCU 5)

CU 1600 Disk 1600-16FF (LCU 6)

CU 1700 Disk 1700-17FF (LCU 7)

Figure 150. Interim migration intermix ESS configuration

The following steps are necessary to migrate to FICON:

• Upgrade software to levels that support FICON native (FC). Refer to “z/OS
and OS/390 software support” on page 49.
• Install the FICON native (FC) channels on the CECs. This step is
non-disruptive.
• Install the FICON adapters on the F model ESS, and upgrade the microcode
to the level that supports FICON. This step can be performed non-disruptively
on the ESS model F10 or F20.
• Install FICON Directors. (Note that the FICON native (FC) channels could be
connected point-to-point to the ESS, but this would require more control unit
FICON host adapters).
• Perform a dynamic I/O reconfiguration change to add the FICON native (FC)
channel paths to the ESS control unit definition while keeping the devices and
ESCON paths online.

The final FICON configuration is shown in Figure 151.

202 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 CEC 1 CEC 2 CEC 3 CEC 4

LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3 LP1 LP2 LP3

FC CNC FC FC CNC FC FC CNC FC FC CNC FC

2 8 8 2 2 8 8 2 2 8 8 2 2 8 8 2

FICON
64 64 Channel Paths
to other FICON FICON
Ports Ports to other
FICON-capable Director #1 Director #2
FICON-capable
control units
control units
unused
FICON ESCON FICON
Ports Ports Ports

CU 1000 Disk 1000-10FF (LCU 0)

CU 1100 Disk 1100-11FF (LCU 1)

CU 1200 Disk 1200-12FF (LCU 2)

CU 1300 Disk 1300-13FF (LCU 3)

CU 1400 Disk 1400-14FF (LCU 4)

CU 1500 Disk 1500-15FF (LCU 5)

CU 1600 Disk 1600-16FF (LCU 6)

CU 1700 Disk 1700-17FF (LCU 7)

Figure 151. Target FICON ESS migration configuration

Note that the intermixed ESCON and FICON native (FC) channel paths in the
same path group are only supported to facilitate a non-disruptive migration, and
should not be used for any extended length of time. Reconnections for devices in
an intermixed configuration are not optimal from a performance perspective and it
is strongly recommended that the customer move from an intermixed
configuration as soon as possible.

14.6.2 FICON 3590

The migration scenario for the FICON 3590 is very similar to that described
above for the FICON ESS. Like the FICON ESS, ESCON and FICON adapters
can coexist but the intermix of ESCON and FICON paths to the same system
(that is, in the same path group) is only supported for the duration of the
migration.

14.6.3 FICON 3170

The FICON-capable 3170 does not support concurrent use of the ESCON and
FICON adapter; only one can be enabled at a time to a device.

Chapter 14. FICON migration 203

204 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance
This chapter describes operational characteristics and performance
considerations of FICON channels.

15.1 Fibre Channel FICON operation

FICON channels are designed to maximize the efficiency of channel operations
by using the CCW and data pipelining channel program protocol, and frame
multiplexing protocol.

CCW and data pipelining and frame multiplexing are fully compatible with existing
programs and z/OS and OS/390 Access Methods.

Figure 152 shows the flow of a FICON channel operation.

Application z/OS or OS/390 I/O Requests #1. I/O Request (Macros or SVC 0)

SSCH
I/O #2. SSCH (SSID) and ORB (CPA)
IOS UCB Interrupt with ORB - P, Y, and M bits

zSeries Channel Subsystem #3. CCWs and Data

Fibre Channel #4. Fibre Channel

ESCON
Channel
FC4 (FC-SB-2) #5. FICON protocol (FC-SB-2 - IUs)

FC3 (Services)
FC2 (Framing) #6. FC-2 (FC-FS) frames
FC1 Encode/
Decode
FC0 (Optics)

ESCON Fibre Channel FC-SB-2 (FICON) protocol in

Topology Fabric FC-2 (FC-FS) frames

ESCON CU FICON CU

Figure 152. S/390 FICON channel operation flow

The flow of a FICON channel operation is explained in more detail using the
numbered steps:
1. Application I/O requests
To request I/O operations to a device, regular unauthorized users issue
macros such as GET and PUT that invoke Access Methods and use the
standard EXCP SVC 0 interface, while supervisor routines and system
components use a privileged I/O driver interface.
The IOBE is an optional control block for users of EXCP or the I/O driver
interface. It is used as a communication area between the user, IOS and
device dependent code such as Error Recovery Procedures (ERPs). For I/O
drivers, the IOBE is an extension of the IOSB extension (IOSBE).

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 205

 When the IOBE is used by EXCP users, the IOBE is pointed to by register 0 at
entry to EXCP. EXCP then saves the address of the IOBE in the Request
Queue Element (RQE).
The IOBE and IOSB have flags that allow exploitation of the FICON functions
during the execution of the channel program:
- IOBEP/IOSP - Prefetching of CCWs and data is allowed. These bits are
discussed in more detail in “CCW and data prefetch and pipelining” on
page 208.
- IOBEPCIS/IOSXPCIS - PCI Synchronization. Set on by the I/O driver to
indicate that the channel must synchronize after the next CCW following
the PCI (CCW+8) when prefetching (IOSP) is also set. These bits are
discussed in more detail in “PCI synchronization” on page 213.
- IOBNORWS/IOSNORWS - No Read/write Synchronization. Set on by the
driver to indicate that the channel should not synchronize on read/write
transitions when prefetching (IOSP) is also set. The driver insures that the
reads and writes are from different I/O buffers. These bits are discussed in
more detail in “Synchronization of read-to-write transition” on page 211.
- IOBECPNM/IOSXCPNM - When set, the Channel program is not modified
by the driver during execution, other than to add CCWs at the end.
- IOS2CSWS - Two Channel Status Words. Set on by the I/O driver to
indicate that when CCW prefetch is requested (IOSP is set), if an error
occurs where the control unit executes ahead of the channel, two ending
CCW addresses should be presented to the driver. The second ending
CCW address is contained in the IEDB. If this bit is off, an invalid ending
CCW address is simulated by IOS.
2. I/O Supervisor Requests
The I/O Supervisor (IOS) initiates an I/O operation at a device by issuing the
Start Subchannel (SSCH) instruction to the Channel Subsystem. There are
two operands associated with the SSCH instruction. One operand is the
Subsystem ID (SSID) containing the subchannel number identifying the target
device. The second operand is a control block called the Operations Request
Block (ORB) whose contents include flags and a pointer to the channel
program to be executed at the device.
By setting the ORBP bit, IOS can control prefetching and pipelining of CCW
commands and data for more efficient I/O. The ORBP bit set on indicates to
the channel that CCW and data prefetching is allowed.
Two previously reserved ORB bits are now used for synchronization control
with FICON support:
- ORBY bit is set to override the synchronization on read-to-write transitions
that would otherwise occur. The FICON channel performs synchronization
on the transition from a read CCW to a write CCW in the channel program.
If the channel program is not self-modifying, and the builder has ensured
that the write data buffers are separate from the read data buffers, then the
ORBY bit can be set to override the read-to-write transition
synchronization, thereby allowing the FICON channel to operate more
efficiently.
- ORBM bit is set to override the synchronization on CCWs that call for a PCI
interrupt to occur. Frequently, a PCI interrupt is requested by a channel

206 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 program builder to allow modification of the channel program during its
execution. The PCI interrupt is used as a signal to check whether
additional CCWs need to be appended to the current channel program.
3. zSeries Channel Subsystem
The SSCH request issued by IOS is processed by the Channel Subsystem,
which is responsible for selecting the channel over which the I/O operation is
initiated.
4. S/390 Fibre Channel
zSeries Fibre Channel implementation is based on the Fibre Channel
Single-Byte Command Code Sets-2 (FC-SB-2) Protocol. FC-SB-2 is an FC-4
mapping protocol that maps this particular SB-2 Upper Level Protocol (ULP)
instance to FC-PH.
5. FC-SB-2 Protocol
FICON (FC-SB-2) architecture provides Information Units (UIs) processing.
Information associated with the execution of an I/O operation and the
operation of a device is transferred between the channel and control unit as
Information Units. SB-2 Information Units (UIs) contain SB-2 device-level
commands, status, data, or control information or SB-2 link-level control
information. All SB-2 IUs are sent as FC-4 device-data frames.
6. FC-2 Frames
Fibre Channel architecture (FC-2) frame multiplexing allows for multiple
simultaneous exchanges, each concurrently transferring information, between
a channel and control unit over the same link interface to different devices.

Communication over the Fibre Channel takes place between a pair of N_Ports,
one N_Port associated with a channel and the other associated with a control
unit, over a Fibre Channel Fabric.

FC-FS defines all of the functions required to transfer information from one
N_Port to another. FC-FS consists of related functions FC-0, FC-1, and FC-2.
The physical interface (FC-0) consists of transmission media, transmitters,
receivers, and associated interfaces. FC-1 specifies the transmission protocol.
The signaling protocol, FC-2, provides the rules and mechanisms needed to
transfer information from one N_Port to another.

15.1.1 FICON channel I/O operations

Figure 153 on page 208 shows the transfer of I/O operations (zSeries channel
commands and data) from the channel to the FICON-capable control unit. Each
I/O operation is for a different device (A,B,C). Each I/O operation is transferred to
the FICON channel adapter card, which then manages the I/O operation out to
the control unit via the addressed FICON destination port if in a switched
point-to-point configuration.

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance 207

 zSeries Processor FICON Control Unit

FICON CU
FICON
I/O Op Device - A I/O Op Device - A Connected
FICON LINK
CCW1 Full Duplex CCW1 Devices
CCW2 CCW2
CCW3 CCW3 Device
CCW4 CCW4
FICON Frames A
I/O Op Device - B I/O - A I/O - B I/O - C I/O Op Device - B
CCW1 CCW1
CCW2 CCW2
Device
CCW3 CCW3 B
CCW4 CCW4
FICON
Channel
I/O Op Device - C I/O Op Device - C
CCW1 CCW1
CCW2 CCW2
Device
CCW3 CCW3 C
CCW4 CCW4

Figure 153. FICON channel I/O operation

For most cases, as the individual commands are being successfully executed
from the FICON channel and the FICON control unit, there is no need to report
back to the FICON channel. There is only a need to communicate with the
channel when the operation does one of the following:
• A disconnect command chaining condition occurs.
• The operation gets to the end of the CCW chain.
• The operation terminates in an error.
• A CU-detected modifying condition occurs (CU reports status-modifier).

The method of not communicating back to the channel for successful completion
of individual commands in the channel command chain, up to the last command,
saves both channel turnaround times and frame bandwidth on the FICON link.

15.1.2 CCW and data prefetch and pipelining

FICON (FC-SB-2) architecture provides the protocol for CCW and data
prefetching and pipelining, which eliminates the interlocked interface
communication that exists with parallel and ESCON channels.

The protocol interlock reduction has the following benefits:

• Reduced number of interlocked handshakes
• Prefetched CCWs and data
• CCW synchronization
• Enhanced error recovery

208 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Review of ESCON channel operation
An ESCON channel program operation requires a Channel End/Device End
(CE/DE) to be presented after execution of each CCW. FICON channels, by using
CCW pipelining, can send groups of CCWs before requiring status (CE/DE).
CCW operation (command and data transfer) on an ESCON channel is shown in
Figure 154.

ESCON Command and Data Transfer

Channel Control Unit Device

CCW1 CCW1 CCW1 CCW1
CE/DE End
CCW2 CCW2 CCW2 CCW2

CE/DE End
CCW3 CCW3 CCW3 CCW3

CE/DE End

CCW interlocked step by step transfer - no CCW or data pipelining

Figure 154. ESCON command and data transfer

As shown in the diagram, the ESCON channel transfers the CCW to the control
unit and waits for Channel End/Device End to be presented by the control unit
after execution of the CCW by the device (CCW interlock). After receiving CE/DE
for the previous CCW, the channel transfers the next CCW to the control unit for
execution.

On a FICON channel, all CCWs may be transferred to the control unit without
waiting for CE/DE after each I/O operation. The device presents a DE to the
control unit after each CCW execution, as before. If the last CCW of the CCW
chain has been executed by the device, the Control Unit will present CE/DE to the
channel. This feature of the Fibre Channel architecture is known as pipelining, or
prefetching of CCW commands and data, and allows the FICON channel to
operate at optimum efficiency.

However, prefetching may cause problems for self-modifying channel programs

and for recovery routines that restart a failed read CCW from the point of failure.
Self-modifying channel programs alter CCWs as a result of channel program
execution. For example, a CCW in a channel program may read data into a buffer
that is used by a CCW further along in the same CCW chain.

I/O Requester control

An I/O driver indicates that unlimited prefetch of CCWs and data can be used for
its channel program by setting the IOSP bit on in the IOSB. This flag can be found
in the IOSB + x’F’, bit 1 (byte IOSOPT2=x’40’). EXCPVR users specify the setting
of the prefetch control flag with the OPBEP flag in the IOB Extension.

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance 209

 I/O Supervisor control
Issuers of the SSCH instruction (the I/O Supervisor, IOS, in z/OS and OS/390,
and standalone programs) enable CCW pipelining and prefetching by setting the
prefetch control bit in the Operations Request Block (ORB), bit ORBP (word 1 bit
9). When ORBP is set to 1, unlimited prefetching is allowed for CCWs, IDAWs
and their associated data. When ORBP is set to 0, no prefetching is allowed.
Also, the synchronization control bit (ORBY, word 1 bit 7), described in section
“Synchronization of read-to-write transition” on page 211, is ignored.

The diagram in Figure 155 shows the FICON channel operation when CCW and
data pipelining is specified. It shows the FICON channel fetching and transferring
CCWs and data to the control unit, without having to wait for status indicating the
progress of the execution of the CCWs at the control unit and device. CCW and
data pipelining allows the FICON channel to operate at maximum efficiency.

FICON CCW and Data Pipelining

(ORBP=1)
FICON Control Unit Device
Channel
CCW1 CCW1
CCW2 CCW2 CMR
CCW3 CCW3 CCW1 CCW1
CCW4 CCW4
CCW5 End
CCW5 CCW2
CCW6 CCW6 CCW2
---- End
----

CCWn CCWn
End
CE/DE

CCW and data

pipelining

Figure 155. FICON CCW and data pipelining - ORBP=1

The diagram in Figure 156 on page 211 shows the consequences of preventing
CCW and data pipelining in the FICON channel. If ORBP=0, the FICON channel
must synchronize the execution of each CCW. The next CCW cannot be fetched
and transferred to the control unit before status for the current CCW is received.
Executing without pipelining means that the performance of the channel program
is impacted.

210 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FICON No CCW and Data Pipelining
(ORBP=0)

FICON Channel Control Unit Device

CRR+SSS
CCW1 CCW1
CMR

CCW1 CCW1
CE/DE
CRR+SSS
End
CCW2 CCW2
CMR
CCW2 CCW2
CE/DE End
CRR+SSS
CCW3 CCW3
CMR
CCW3 CCW3
End
CE/DE

Figure 156. FICON No CCW and data pipelining - ORBP=0

15.1.3 Synchronization of read-to-write transition

To ensure data integrity, the FICON channel performs synchronization on
read-to-write transitions in a channel program. That is, whenever the current
command in execution in the FICON channel is an input operation (read) and the
next CCW to be fetched describes an output operation (write), the FICON
channel indicates to the control unit that status must be presented when the
current (input/read) operation has completed execution at the device.

Overriding the synchronization that occurs on transition from read-type CCWs to

write-type CCWs improves the performance of the I/O operation and allows
maximum benefits to be gained from the CCW prefetching capabilities of the
FICON channel. However, overriding the synchronization on read-to-write
transitions should only be specified if the buffers used for reading are separate of
those used for writing, or the read channel programs are separate from the write
channel programs.

I/O Requester control

An I/O driver sets the IOSNORWS bit at byte x’2’, bit 4 in the IOSB
(IOSBFLC=x’08’) to indicate that the channel should not synchronize on
read-to-write transitions. The prefetching bit (IOSP) must also be set.

An EXCP requester can also override read-to-write transition synchronization in

the FICON channel by setting the IOBNORWS in the IOB extension.

With IOSNORWS/IOBNORWS=1 and IOSP/IOBEP=1, the I/O Supervisor (IOS)

sets the override read-to-write transition synchronize control bit in the ORB when
issuing the SSCH instruction for the channel program.

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance 211

 I/O Supervisor control
When explicitly indicated by the I/O requester, IOS overrides the FICON channel
read-write transition synchronization by setting the synchronize control bit, ORBY
(ORB word 1 bit 7) to 1.

When ORBY is set to 1 and ORBP (word 1 bit 9) is set to 1, synchronize control is
not specified. That is, the FICON channel does not synchronize status at a
read-write transition, and the benefits of CCW and data pipelining are realized.
When ORBY is set to 0 and pipelining is indicated (ORBP=1), synchronize control
is specified and the FICON channel must delay sending the output operation until
the status at the end of execution of the input operation has been received at the
channel.

The synchronize control bit is only meaningful when the device is configured on a
FICON (FC or FCV) channel and the prefetch control bit (ORBP) is 1.

The diagram in Figure 157 shows the FICON channel operation when read-write
transition synchronization is specified. That is, this diagram shows the normal
FICON channel operation, and the I/O requester has not explicitly indicated that
the synchronization can be overridden. In this example, the channel program
consists of the following CCWs:
• 63 - Define Extent (transfers positioning data)
• 47 - Locate Record (transfers positioning data)
• 06 - Read Data
• 47 - Locate Record (transfers positioning data)
• and so on...

The FICON channel recognizes the transition from an input operation (Read Data
CCW) to an output operation (Locate Record CCW), and sends CCW3 to the
control unit with Synchronize Send Status (SSS) flag set. The FICON channel
then suspends further fetching of CCWs until the status for CCW3 has been
received.

FICON Synchronize Read-Write Transition

(ORBP=1, ORBY=0)

FICON Channel Control Unit Device

CCW1 - 63 (W) CCW1
CCW2 - 47 (W) CMR
CCW2
CCW1
CCW3 - 06 (R) + SSS * CCW3
CCW1
End
CCW2 CCW2
read-to-write transition End
CCW3 CCW3
End
CE/DE (CCW3)
CCW4 - 47 (W) CCW4
CCW5 - 06 (R) CCW5
CCW6 - 06 (R) CCW6 CCWn CCWn
---- ---- End
CE/DE (CCWn)

* SSS - Synchronize Send Status

Figure 157. Read-write transition synchronization

212 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 The diagram in Figure 158 shows the FICON channel operation when read-write
transition synchronization is not specified. That is, the I/O requester has explicitly
overridden synchronization. It shows that the full performance benefits of FICON
pipelining can be realized without the FICON channel incurring the delay of
waiting for synchronized status from the control unit before proceeding to fetch
and transfer CCWs.

FICON No Read-Write Transition Synchronization Required

(ORBP=1, ORBY=1)

FICON
Control Unit Device
Channel
CCW1 - 63 (W) CCW1
CCW2 - 47 (W) CMR
CCW2
CCW1 CCW1
read-to-write CCW3 - 06 (R) CCW3
transition End
CCW4 - 47 (W) CCW4 CCW2 CCW2
CCW5 - 06 (R) CCW5 End
CCW6 - 06 (R) CCW3 CCW3
CCW6 End
---- ----

CCWn CCWn
End
CE/DE (CCWn)

Figure 158. No read-write transition synchronization

15.1.4 PCI synchronization

The FICON channel performs synchronization when a CCW in the channel
program has the PCI (Program Controlled Interrupt) flag set. When the FICON
channel executes a command with the PCI and command-chain flags set to 1,
command synchronization is forced for the subsequent command. The channel
subsystem temporarily suspends command chaining and does not fetch the next
command-chained CCW until after normal ending status is received from the
device.

The zSeries architecture provides the Modification Control bit that allows a
program to request the FICON channel not to synchronize on the CCW following
the PCI. When modification control is not specified, command synchronization is
not required and the channel subsystem may transfer commands to the device
without waiting for status.

Modification control provides the capability to optimize dynamically modified

channel programs that use the PCI flag in the CCW to initiate channel program
modification. The program may alter the channel program to allow it to execute in
a different way, depending on the data already read. Modification control allows
the program to delay the channel subsystem fetching and transfer of commands
until after status is received for the command following the command with the PCI
bit set. Examples of applications that use PCI are IEBCOPY and IEWFETCH.

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance 213

 On systems where FICON channels are supported, overriding the
synchronization that occurs on PCI interrupts improves the performance of the
I/O operation and allows maximum benefits to be gained from the prefetching
capabilities of the FICON channel. Some applications use PCI interrupts to notify
the program when buffers associated with a completed portion of the channel
program can be freed or reused for other purposes. Programs that use PCI in this
way do not want to incur the overheads of synchronization and can use
modification control to override synchronization. However, overriding PCI
synchronization should only be specified if the PCI interrupt is not used to modify
the CCW chain following the CCW where the PCI is requested.

I/O Requester control

PCI synchronization can be requested by I/O drivers by setting the IOSXPCIS bit
in the IOSB extension. EXCP users can request PCI synchronization by setting
the IOBEPCIS bit in the IOB extension.

With IOXPCIS/IOBEPCIS set, modification control is specified and

synchronization occurs on the CCW following the CCW with the PCI flag set.

I/O Supervisor control

To optimize performance of the FICON channel, the software default is no PCI
synchronization. Unless the I/O requester specifically indicates PCI
synchronization with the IOXPCIS/IOBEPCIS bit set to 1, IOS sets the
modification control bit, ORBM (ORB word 1 bit 6), to 1. When ORBM is set to 1,
modification control is not specified and no synchronization for a PCI is requested
by the FICON channel. When ORBM is set to 0, modification control is specified,
and the FICON channel requires status synchronization on the CCW following the
CCW with the PCI flag set.

Modification control is only meaningful for a device configured on a FICON (FC or

FCV) channel.

The diagram in Figure 159 on page 215 shows the normal operation of the
FICON channel when a CCW with a PCI flag is executed but the ORB does not
specify modification control. In this example, the FICON channel fetches CCW12
which has the PCI flag on. ORBP=1 and ORBM=1 which means that modification
control is not specified, that is, no PCI synchronization is required. The FICON
channel sends CCW12 to the control unit with command response request (CRR)
flag set. When CCW12 becomes current in the control unit, a command response
(CMR) for CCW12 is sent to the FICON channel. When the FICON channel
associates the CMR with CCW12 which has the PCI flag on, a PCI I/O interrupt is
generated.

The PCI I/O interrupt is a signal to the I/O requester as to the progress of the
execution of the channel program. The application may now reuse the buffers
associated with the completed portion of the channel program, for example.
Because PCI synchronization is not required and modification control is not
specified, the full benefits of FICON channel pipelining are realized.

214 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FICON - No PCI Synchronization
(ORBP=1, ORBM=1)

FICON Control Unit Device

Channel
----
CCW11 CCW11
PCI CCW12 CCW12 CCW11 CCW11
End
CCW13 CCW13 CCW12 CCW12
CMR (CCW12) End
PCI CCW14 CCW14 CCW13 CCW13
I/O Interrupt End
CCW15 CCW15
CCW16 CCW16
---- ----

CCWn CCWn
End
CE/DE

* SSS - Synchronize Send Status

Figure 159. No PCI synchronization

The diagram in Figure 160 on page 216 shows the FICON channel operation
when PCI synchronization is required. ORBP=1 and ORBM=0 indicating
modification control is specified. When the FICON channel fetches CCW12 with
the PCI flag on, it sends CCW12 to the control unit with CRR flag on. The FICON
channel then fetches CCW13 and sends it to the control unit with the Synchronize
Send Status (SSS) flag set on. The FICON channel suspends fetching further
CCWs until the status for CCW13 is received from the control unit.

In the control unit, when CCW12 becomes current, a CMR for CCW12 is sent to
the FICON channel. The FICON channel recognizes that CCW12 has the PCI flag
on and generates a PCI I/O interrupt. On receipt of the PCI interrupt, the
authorized application may then modify any CCW from CCW14 (CCW12+8bytes)
onwards.

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance 215

 FICON - PCI Synchronization
(ORBP=1, ORBM=0)

Host FICON Control Unit Device

Software Channel
Initiate I/O
request ----
CCW11 CCW11
PCI I/O PCI CCW12 +CRR CCW12 CCW11 CCW11
Interrupt CCW13 +SSS End
CCW13 CCW12 CCW12
Program can
CMR (CCW12) End
PCI CCW13 CCW13
modify from synchronization End
CCW14 on CE/DE (CCW13)
CCW14 CCW14
CCW15 CCW15
CCW16 CCW16
---- ---- CCWn CCWn
End
CE/DE (CCWn)

* SSS - Synchronize Send Status

Figure 160. PCI synchronization

At the end of execution of CCW13, the control unit sends status to the FICON
channel and synchronization is now complete. The FICON channel can now
continue to fetch and send CCWs (that is, resume pipelining) to the control unit.
Note that the I/O requester has no awareness of the point in time where the
status for CCW13 is presented to the FICON channel. If the I/O requester intends
modifying CCW14, the priority of the image, on an LPAR mode machine, and the
dispatching priority of the application should be set to ensure that the requester
receives control in a timely manner after the PCI interrupt.

15.1.5 Frame multiplexing

Fibre Channel architecture (FC-2) frames provide the protocol frame multiplexing,
which allows a higher utilization of the Fibre Channel link bandwidth.

Frame multiplexing uses Fibre Channel’s full duplex data transfer in each
direction and provides:
• Multiplexing operations for different devices and control units.
• Transmitted frames are in groups (implementation dependent).
• Received frames may be multiplexed (switch and operation dependent).
• Frames from each system intermix at the destination port.
• Destination port busy signals to SAP eliminated.

216 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 zSeries Server
Send: Multiplexed Sequence-Frames Control
FICON Receive: Multiplexed Frames Unit
Channel
FICON
Adapter
Switch

Control
Unit

FICON
Adapter

FICON
Channel

zSeries Server

Figure 161. FICON frame multiplexing

Figure 161 shows a frame multiplexing example. FICON channels can send
multiplexed sequence-frames, transmitting frames in groups via a switch to a
control unit’s FICON adapter. The received frames may be multiplexed by the
switch (implementation dependent).

15.2 Comparison of FICON and ESCON I/O operations

This section compares the phases of an I/O operation over a FICON native (FC)
channel with the same sequence on an ESCON channel. The following terms are
used to describe the different phases with respect to the measurements available
for determining the duration of an I/O operation and potential delays:
• I/O Supervisor Queue time (IOSQ), measured by the operating system
The application I/O request may be queued in the operating system, if the I/O
device, represented by the UCB, is already being used by another I/O request
from the same operating system image (UCB busy). The I/O Supervisor (IOS)
does not issue a Start Subchannel (SSCH) command to the Channel
Subsystem until the current I/O operation to this device ends, thereby freeing
the UCB for use by another I/O operation.
• Pending time (PEND), measured by the channel subsystem
After IOS issues the Start Subchannel command, the Channel Subsystem
may not be able to initiate the I/O operation if any path or device busy
condition is encountered:
- Channel busy, with another I/O operation from the same CEC
- Switch port busy, with another I/O operation from another or the same CEC

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance 217

 This can only occur on an ESCON channel. The use of buffer credits on a
FICON native (FC) channel eliminates switch port busy.
- Control unit adapter busy, with another I/O operation from another or the
same CEC
- Device busy, with another I/O operation from another CEC
• Connect time, measured by the channel subsystem
This is the time that the channel is connected to the control unit, transferring
data for this I/O operation.
• Disconnect time
The channel is not being used for this I/O operation, as the control unit is
disconnected from the channel, waiting for access to the data or to reconnect.
Disconnect time often does not exist when a cache hit occurs because data is
transferred directly from cache without the need for access to the device.

It is also important to be aware of some of the new functions implemented by the

IBM ESS 2105:
• Multiple Allegiance (MA) - Enables different operating system images to
perform multiple concurrent I/O operations to the same logical volume, when
no extent conflict exists. This can reduce the pending time, as device busy is
not be presented to the channel.
• Parallel Access Volumes (PAV) - Allows more than one I/O operation from the
same operating system image to be sent and to access the same logical
volume at the same time. PAV provides multiple UCBs and device addresses.
This can reduce the IOSQ time by reducing device (UCB) busy conditions.

Figure 162 on page 219 shows the components of an ESCON I/O operation when
a cache hit occurs. In this case, there is no disconnect time and the I/O operation
ends at the end of the connect time, after transferring the requested data.

The ESCON I/O operation may accumulate IOSQ time if the device (UCB) is
already in use for another I/O request from this system. IOS only initiates one I/O
operation at a time for a device with the Channel Subsystem. The new I/O
operation cannot be started with the Channel Subsystem until the I/O interrupt
signalling completion of the current outstanding I/O operation has been
processed by IOS. Parallel Access Volume (PAV) support, available on the IBM
ESS 2105 subsystem, helps reduce IOSQ time and device busy conditions by
allowing multiple I/O requests per UCB for access to the same logical volume.

Once the request has been accepted by the Channel Subsystem, it may
accumulate PEND time if the Channel Subsystem is unable to start the request
because of either channel busy, port busy, control unit (CU) busy, or device busy.

218 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Application Start I/O I/O Operation
ESCO N
I/O R equest (IOS - CSS) Ends
DASD O peration
(Cache hit)

IO SQ Pend C onnect
Channel Busy
Device busy W orking
(UCB Busy) Transferring Data
Port Busy
PAV helps
with multiple CU Busy
UCBs and CU I/O Q ueuing
Device Disconnect time
Addresses
Device Busy
MA
Reduce Pend Time

Figure 162. ESCON I/O operation sequence - cache hit

With the ESS 2105 subsystem, some control unit busy can be alleviated with I/O
queuing by the control unit. In the case of a cache hit, the ESS 2105 control unit
may queue an I/O request for conditions which in other subsystems would result
in CU busy, such as destaging, extent conflict resolution, and so on. This control
unit I/O queuing time is accumulated in DISCONNECT time, but reported later in
PEND time.

With the ESS 2105 subsystem, some device busy can be alleviated through the
Multiple Allegiance function that enables different operating system images to
perform concurrent I/O operations at the same logical volume as long as no
extent conflict exists. Note that device busy still occurs if the device is reserved
by another operating system image.

When the I/O operation is accepted by the control unit, CONNECT time is
accumulated as the channel transfers data to/from cache.

The I/O operation completes when the data transfer into cache is complete. No
access to the physical volume is required before the end of the I/O operation is
signalled in the case of a cache hit.

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance 219

 Application Start I/O ESCON I/O Operation
I/O Request (IOS - CSS) DASD Operation Ends

(Cache miss)

IOSQ Pend Connect Disconnect Connect

Device busy Channel Busy Cache Working
(UCB Busy) miss Transferring Data
Reconnect
Port Busy
Port Busy
PAV helps Extent
with multiple CU Busy Conflict
UCBs and CU I/O Queuing
Device
Addresses Disconnect time Connect Connect

Device Busy
MA
Reduce Pend Time

For ESCON the sum of the connect

times is somewhat predicable

Figure 163. ESCON I/O operation sequence - cache miss

Figure 163 shows an ESCON I/O operation sequence when a cache miss occurs.
In this case, CONNECT time is accumulated as the positioning CCWs are
transferred to the control unit. For the ESS 2105 subsystem, this CONNECT time
component also includes the extent conflict checking time.

DISCONNECT time is then accumulated as the physical DASD positioning

operations are performed. Then the control unit must reconnect to the channel for
the transfer of data. It is during the attempt to reconnect that a port busy condition
may occur.

Further CONNECT time is accumulated as data is transferred over the channel.

For ESCON I/O operations, the total connect time component is somewhat
predictable since the data transfer is directly related to the speed of the channel
and the number of bytes transferred.

The I/O operation ends after the requested data has been transferred and the
terminating interrupt has been presented by the channel.

220 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Application Start I/O FICON I/O Operation
I/O Request (IOS - CSS) DASD Operation Ends
(Cache hit)

FC frame multiplexing,
IOSQ Pend Connect allows for better link
utilization, but may extend
Reduced Reduced some connect times
UCB busy channel busy Working
Transferring Data
(multiple starts) FICON connect time is not as
(PAV helps predictable as ESCON, more
with multiple an awareness than a problem
UCBs and No port busy
device (buffer credits)
numbers -
Configure Reduced CU busy
more PAVs) (CU I/O queuing) Connect
logical disc time?

Reduced device
busy
(multiple
allegiance)

Figure 164. FICON I/O operation sequence - cache hit

Figure 164 shows a FICON I/O operation sequence when a cache hit occurs. As
with an ESCON cache hit operation, no DISCONNECT time is accumulated. Note
that some busy conditions can be reduced or eliminated when using FICON
channels:
• More devices/UCBs can be configured (up to 16,384 devices per FICON
channel), allowing a higher ESS 2105 PAV function exploitation, including
dynamic PAV support in OS/390 R2.7 Workload Manager (WLM). This will
reduce the number of device busy and UCB busy conditions that will be
accumulated in IOSQ time.
• Channel busy is reduced with FICON’s capability of multiple starts to the same
channel path, thereby reducing PEND time.
• Port busy does not exist on FICON switches. The FICON switch uses switch
port buffer credits.
• Control unit busy conditions are reduced with CU I/O queueing in the ESS
2105 subsystem, also reducing PEND time.
• Device busy conditions are reduced by further exploitation of the ESS 2105
Multiple Allegiance (MA) function due to FICON’s multiple concurrent I/O
operations capability.

As Fibre Channel frame multiplexing is used by FICON links, some CONNECT

times may be extended when comparing to CONNECT times in ESCON. As each
FICON link may have multiple concurrent I/O operations, now a single I/O
operation may take more time to transfer its data. So the FICON connect time is
not as predictable as ESCON time, but this is more an awareness issue than a
problem.

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance 221

 Application Start I/O FICON I/O Operation
I/O Request (IOS - CSS) Ends
DASD Operation
(Cache miss or extent conflict)

IOSQ Pend Connect ESS Connect

Reduced
Reduced cache Logical Working
UCB busy channel busy
miss Disconnect Transferring Data
(multiple starts)
(PAV helps extent
with multiple No port busy
conflict No reconnect
UCBs and (buffer credits)
port busy
device
numbers - (buffer credits)
Reduced CU busy
Configure (CU I/O queuing)
more PAVs) Logical disc time? Connect minus Logical Disconnect = Reported Connect

Reduced device busy

(multiple allegiance)

Channel needs good

selection algorithm
and controls. Open
exchange limit

Figure 165. FICON I/O operation sequence - cache miss

Figure 165 shows a FICON I/O operation sequence when a cache miss occurs. In
the ESCON cache miss operation, a DICONNECT time component is expected.

Having all the benefits about reducing busy conditions and times as shown in the
previous cache hit example, a new condition takes place in this kind of I/O
operation, removing another busy condition.

Because the control unit FICON adapter can handle multiple concurrent I/O
operations at a time, it will not disconnect from the channel when a cache miss
occurs for a single I/O operation. So the control unit adapter remains connected
to the channel, being able to transfer data from other I/O operations. This
condition is called “logical disconnect”.

With no disconnect time, the port busy condition during ESCON channel
reconnect time does not exist also, and this is another improvement over ESCON
channels. Note that the channel subsystem reported connect times are not
affected by logical disconnected times. The logical disconnect time is
accumulated by the hardware as a component of CONNECT time, but the
CONNECT time reported by the channel is calculated by excluding the logical
disconnect time. The logical disconnect time is reported as part of DISC time.

15.3 FICON performance considerations

FICON channels provide many improvements over ESCON channels, reducing
bottlenecks from the I/O path and allowing the maximum control unit I/O
concurrency exploitation:
• IOSQ time (UCB busy) can be reduced configuring more Alias device
addresses, using Parallel Access Volumes (PAVs). This is possible because

222 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FICON channels can address up to 16,384 device (ESCON channels address
up to 1,024).
• Pending time can also be reduced:
- Channel busy conditions are reduced by FICON channel’s multiple starts
capability.
- Port busy conditions are eliminated by FICON switches frame multiplexing
capability.
- Control unit busy conditions are reduced by FICON adapter’s multiple
starts capability.
- Device busy conditions can also be reduced as FICON’s multiple
concurrent I/O operations capability can improve the Multiple Allegiance
(MA) function exploitation.

FICON channels allow a higher I/O throughput, using fewer resources, but this
does not mean that each I/O response time will be reduced (although this is
expected on large block sizes transfers).

The key point is the FICON architecture’s capability to execute multiple

concurrent I/O operations, which can be sustained by the FICON link bandwidth.
Multiple systems can perform multiple I/O operations at a time from/to each
control unit port, and the I/O performance is more related to the control unit
capabilities.

Other performance related aspects to consider:

• The number of buffer credits (on processor channels, switch ports and control
unit adapters) is a very important factor related to FICON link distances.
Performance will be affected if required buffer credits are not provided on both
ends of a FICON link (N_Port to N_Port, or N_Port to F_Port) for a given
distance. To achieve the FICON link maximum distance of 100 km with no
performance impact, both FICON link ports must have at least 64 buffer
credits.
• When intermixing control unit types with different channel usage
characteristics (like disk and Tape) on the same FICON channel may interfere
in the response time of some control units requiring the best possible
response time (like disk control units), as tape control units normally transfer
large data blocks. So, response time sensitive control units should not be
configured to use the same FICON channel being used by tape control units.

15.3.1 zSeries channel performance paradigms

Each zSeries channel type has its own performance paradigm as well as its own
topology requirements and advantages.

Different zSeries channel types accessing the same CU can perform differently
for the same operation with the same topology or distance for the new channel
environment due to the operating characteristics of the channel type:
• Topology (point-to-point versus switched point-to-point)
• Distances - characteristic impacts
- Frame multiplexing
- Number of outstanding frame requests allowed

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance 223

 Whenever a new zSeries host processor or new I/O channel type is introduced,
there will always be performance comparisons made between the current
channels and the new channels when they provide connectivity to the same type
of CU and device.

This was the case going from:

• One type of parallel channel to another (selector to block)
• All the changes in parallel channels (DCI to streaming)
• Parallel to ESCON (3 MB - 4.5 MB to 17 MB data rate) and topology
• ESCON to EMIF support
• ESCON to FICON Bridge (FCV)
• ESCON and FICON Bridge (FCV) to FICON native (FC)

New zSeries channel types that provide connectivity to the same type of
CU/device are always introduced to provide connectivity, addressing, topology, or
performance benefits over the previous channels. Not every characteristic of the
older channel will automatically be improved. But the net of all the new channel
benefits provides significant improvements over the previous channel. In each
case the new channel type provides connectivity and performance enhancements
in a more complex, intermixed environment.

15.3.2 Parallel - ESCON - FICON comparisons

Parallel - Interlocked tag protocol selection sequences:
• Supports one I/O operation at a time
• Requires careful selection of intermixed CU types

ESCON - Interlocked frame protocol sequences:

• Supports one I/O operation at a time
• Requires careful selection of intermixed CU types

FICON Bridge (FCV) - Command/Data - multiplexed and less interlocked

protocols:
• Multiplexes frames to up to 8 different control units
• Reduced command sequence requirement
• Supports multiple concurrent I/O operations
• Greater selection of intermixed CU types

FICON native (FC) - Command/Data - greater multiplexed and less interlocked

protocols:
• Multiplexes frames to the same or different control units
• Reduced command sequence requirement
• Supports multiple concurrent I/O operations, even to a same logical control
unit
• Greater selection of intermixed CU types

224 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 FICON native (FC), FICON Bridge (FCV) and ESCON (CNC) can coexist to the
same control unit.

The zSeries FICON channel provides the zSeries tie-in to the evolving Storage
Area Networks (SAN) environment.

15.3.3 S/390 ESCON and FICON operation

Today's ESCON ties up the channel for every I/O operation on the interface:
Link utilization = Channel utilization

FICON multiplexing allows a number of I/O operations to proceed concurrently,

on the same channel.

Therefore, you need to understand the FICON performance paradigm in order to

design an I/O configuration using the new paradigm rules in regards to the
following:
• There is improved response time (pending and connect times for extended
distances).
• You have the freedom to intermix different CU types with different data
transfer and channel usage characteristics.
• Distances can be extended before a performance droop occurs.

FICON channel utilization is separate from FICON channel link utilization.

New Channel Path Measurement data:

• Channel utilization = number of sequences/maximum number of sequences
• Link utilization = Number of bytes transferred per partition, both reads and
writes

15.3.4 zSeries ESCON Channels

With ESCON CNC channels:
• The operating distance between the channel and configured control units is
increased from the parallel channel operating distance of 122 meters to 3 km
for the ESCON channel (using 62.5 micron multi-mode fiber optic cabling).
• There is greater shared-system CU connectivity with the introduction of the
ESCON director.
• There are shorter response times on longer records (as compared to parallel
channels).
• There is a slight response time elongation on short records.
• EMIF was introduced with ESCON channels to allow for sharing of a channel
between images on the same zSeries processor.
• A Port busy condition occurs when a zSeries channel attempts to access a
CU/device via an ESCON director destination port address (destination link) at
the time that it is already in use by another zSeries channel. This condition is
managed by the zSeries channel that sees the Port Busy condition.
• ESCON channels support a control unit request to disconnect in the middle of
an I/O operation. This frees up the channel to perform another I/O operation to
the same or a different control unit on the same channel path.

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance 225

 • ESCON channel multi-path mode supports:
- Dynamic Path Selection
- Dynamic Path Reconnect (DASD RPS miss-avoidance)

15.3.5 zSeries FICON Bridge (FCV) channels

The FICON Bridge (FCV) channel provides the following:
• Increased I/O operation concurrency.
• Frame multiplexing to up to 8 different control units.
• MIF is also supported to allow for sharing of a FICON Bridge (FCV) channel
between zSeries images on the same zSeries processor.
• As it uses ESCON links to control unit, a port busy condition still occurs when
a zSeries channel attempts to access a CU/device via an ESCON director
destination port address (destination link) at the time that it is already in use
by another zSeries channel. This condition is managed by the zSeries channel
that sees the Port Busy condition.
• Distance (un-repeated) of up to 10 km is supported (20 km with an RPQ).
• End-to-end distances using repeaters is up to 100 km, with no data droop
effect.
• It uses the Fibre Channel FC-PH (FC-2) standard.

15.3.6 zSeries FICON native (FC) channels

The FICON native (FC) channel provides the following:
• Frame multiplexing to the same or different control units.
• Sharing of a FICON native (FC) channel between zSeries images on the same
zSeries processor.
• A port busy condition does not occur when a FICON channel attempts to
access a CU/device via a FICON Director destination port address
(destination link) at the time that it is already in use by another FICON
channel. So destination port busy signals to the System Assist Processor
(SAP) are eliminated.
• Distance (un-repeated) of up to 10 km is supported (20 km with an RPQ).
• End-to-end distances using repeaters is up to 100 km, with no data droop
effect.
• It uses the Fibre Channel FC-PH (FC-2) standard and the Fibre Channel
FC-SB-2 (FC-4) protocol.

15.3.7 zSeries FICON channel benefits

FICON channel exploitation benefit is customer installation-dependent.
• Greater channel and link bandwidth per FICON channel, which allows for
more control units to be connected via the same channel.
• Multiple concurrent I/O operations per FICON channel, which can be to
different control units, to a same control unit and even to a same logical
control unit.

226 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 • A larger number of device numbers (subchannels) are supported per FICON
channel. Up to 1,024 devices are supported on an ESCON channel, and up to
16,384 devices for a FICON channel. This allows for more of today’s control
units (with the larger number of devices per CU) to be accessed from the
same channel.
• Greater fiber link un-repeated distances: 10 km (20 km with an RPQ) for
FICON channels versus 3 km for ESCON channels.
• Greater fiber link repeated distances, up to 100 km.
• Performance droop is moved from 9 km for ESCON channels to 100 km for
FICON channels.
• Intermixing of CU types with different channel usage characteristics on the
same channel.

15.4 RMF reporting for FICON

This section describes the changes to RMF in support of FICON.

15.4.1 FICON channel support

RMF support for FICON channels (both FCV and FC) includes the reporting of
five new measurements:
• Bus utilization
Percentage of bus cycles the bus has been found busy for this channel in
relation to the theoretical limit.
• Read bandwidth for an image in MB/sec
Data transfer rates from the control unit to the channel for this individual
logical partition.
• Total read bandwidth (for all images on the system) in MB/sec
Data transfer rates from the control unit to the channel for the entire system.
• Write bandwidth for an image in MB/sec
Data transfer rates from the channel to the control unit for this individual
logical partition.
• Total write bandwidth (for all images on the system) in MBsec
Data transfer rates from the channel to the control unit for the entire system.

Sample RMF information is shown in Figure 166 on page 228

Chapter 15. FICON channel operation and performance 227

 C H A N N E L P A T H ACTIVIT Y

SYSTEM ID 9672 START 04/16/2001-09.47.47 INTERVAL 000.19.59

RPT VERSION 02.10.00 END 04/16/2001-10.07.47 CYCLE 0.200 SECONDS

CR-TIME: 17.21.11 ACT: POR MODE: BASIC CPMF: EXTENDED MODE

CHANNEL PATH UTILIZATION(%) READ(MB/SEC) WRITE(MB/SEC)

ID TYPE SHR PART TOTAL BUS PART TOTAL PART TOTAL
EC FC 28.43 16.70 6.36 1.64
ED FC_? OFFLINE
EE OSE 0.53 6.21 0.00 0.00
F0 FC_? 0.00 7.58 0.00 0.00
F1 FC_? 0.00 7.58 0.00 0.00
F2 FC_? 0.00 7.58 0.00 0.00
F4 OSE 0.53 6.21 0.00 0.00
F5 FC 28.34 16.66 6.34 1.64

Figure 166. Sample RMF information

SMF record types 73 and 79-12 have been changed. The record changes are
documented in “SMF record changes for FICON” on page 259.

15.4.2 Device-active-only time

Device-active-only time is a new architected field in the CMB. It represents the
time between reporting of primary and secondary status, that is, Channel End
(CE) and Device End (DE).

228 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination
This chapter discusses problem determination in a FICON environment.

16.1 zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 FICON problem determination

This section describes the tools available for hardware problem determination in
a FICON native (FC) environment.

16.1.1 zSeries and 9672 G5/G6 channel problem determination panels

FICON native (FC) mode Channel Problem Determination panels are invoked in
the same way as any other channel type from the zSeries 900 or 9672 G5/G6
Hardware Management Console (HMC). Please refer to the zSeries 900 or 9672
HMC user manual for more details.

The following display options are provided:

• Analyze Channel Information
• Analyze Subchannel Data
• Analyze Control Unit Header
• Analyze Paths to a Device
• Analyze Device Status
• Analyze Serial Link Status

The type of information displayed is the same as for ESCON native (CNC mode)
channels.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 229

Figure 167. FICON native (FC mode) Analyze Channel Information

Figure 167 shows an example of an Analyze Channel Information display for

FICON native channel (FC mode) Channel Path Identification (CHPID) FA located
on a 9672-RX6 (serial number 0257262).

This FICON channel is physically attached to a McDATA ED-5000 FICON

Director (serial number MK00109) port number 01. Note that the port number can
be found in the Tag field of the attached Node information. This information is
displayed in hexadecimal. For example reading 19 in the Tag field will point to
port number 25 and to port address 1D. Refer to Figure 40 on page 61.

The Worldwide name (WWN) is an eight-byte field that uniquely identifies a node
(F_Port or N_Port). This field is independant of and unrelated to FICON
addressing.

230 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Figure 168. FICON native (FC mode) Analyze subchannel Data

Figure 168 shows an example of the Analyze Subchannel Data display for a
FICON native (FC mode) attached device. Device number CA01 corresponds to
subchannel number 135A and has three FICON native channel paths (FD, F0 and
FA) and two ESCON native channel paths (9C and 08). Note that the CHPID type
information is not available on this frame.)

16.1.2 FINISAR Fibre Channel GTX System Protocol Analyzer trace

A Finisar Fibre Channel GTX System Protocol analyzer trace can be inserted into
the FC link to capture the required problem determination data and pass the
signal along with minimum distortion. The analyzer attaches to the FC link being
checked with user changeable Finisar Instrument Grade GBIC transceivers,
which support data rates to 2.5 Gb/sec.

To ensure minimum Fiber Channel system impact and high signal integrity, the
user chooses from two operating modes.
• Analog pass-through mode
The received signal is buffered and retransmitted unmodified. The signal is
amplified and link jitter is increased by less than 100 sec.

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 231

 • Retiming mode
The data is collected in a FIFO and retransmitted with a new clock. Jitter is
eliminated and fill characters are added or deleted in compliance with the
Fibre Channel specification.

The GTX Protocol Analyzer has up to 2 GB of full-speed capture memory.

Finisar Fibre Channel GT System Protocol Analyzer can also be used for FICON
FC link problem analysis. This analyzer attaches to the FC link being checked
with user changeable Finisar Instrument Grade GBIC transceivers, which support
data rates to 1.25 Gb/sec.

Data captured by the Protocol Analyzer is displayed by the GTX-TraceView,

which is highly configurable to meet any presentation needs. The GTX-TraceView
can be dowloaded from the Finisar Web site, www.finisar.com, and installed on any PC
workstation running the Windows NT or Windows 2000 operating systems.

Captured traces can be analyzed directly from trace memory or saved to hard
disk in either Finisar binary or Finisar Archive compressed format. Captured
traces can also be saved on diskettes or transmitted to the network using the
provided Ethernet adapter.

Figure 169 shows the display of an FC2 Extended Link Service frame (FLOGI).
The GTX-Trace viewer allows you to display any FC2 captured frame and
provides interpretation of the data.

Figure 169. Example of FC2 Extended Link Service frame (FLOGI) trace display

232 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Figure 170 shows the display of a FC4 (FC-SB-2) Command and Data frame. The
GTX-Trace viewer allows you to display any FC-SB-2 captured frame and
provides interpretation of the data.

Figure 170. Example of FC4 (FC-SB-2) Command and Data frame Trace display

16.2 INRANGE FC/9000 problem determination

Using the general tab display provides information about the failing component
for the selected director and allows you to select additional logs to get more
information about the problem.

Figure 171 on page 234 shows an example of the Audit Log.

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 233

 Figure 171. Audit log for a selected Director

Figure 172 shows an example of the Event Log.

Figure 172. Event Log display for a selected Director

In the event log you will find a reference to a failing Field Replaceable Unit (FRU).
Use this information together with the supplied Maintenance Manual to identify
the failing component.

Currently, there is no information available to display Link Incidents reported with

the associated Node-Id descriptors on the FC/9000-64. This function will be
implemented by one of the next microcode ECs.

234 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

The first step in problem determination on the INRANGE FC/9000 Director is to
read out the scrolling 4-character display on the FCM primary card, which
provides information about a failing FRU. The Maintenance Package has to be
used together with the displayed information to identify the failing component.

To capture additional failure information from the INRANGE FC/9000-64, if

necessary (like internal tracing, gathering log information), a connection must be
established by using a terminal program (HyperTerminal) to capture all logs from
both the IN-VSN software and the FCM Primary / FCM Secondary ports. This
could be done by opening a Hyper Terminal session by pressing Start -->
Programs --> Accessories --> Hyperterminal --> Hyperterminal and set
screen capture by selecting Transfer --> Capture Text.

If necessary, configure the COMx port to the settings shown in Figure 173.

On the Hyper Terminal screen select File --> Properties --> Configure and
change the fields to the following data:
- Bits per second 115200
- Data Bits 8
- Parity N
- Stop Bits 1
Do not use this procedure unless instructed to do so by INRANGE technical
support!

Figure 173. Settings for the Hyper Terminal

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 235

16.3 McData problem determination logs
The following logs are available from the McDATA Enterprise Fabric Connectivity
(EFC) Product Manager to help problem determination on McDATA FICON
Directors:
• Audit Log, see Figure 175 on page 237
• Event Log, see Figure 176 on page 238
• Hardware Log, see Figure 177 on page 239
• Link Incident Log, see Figure 178 on page 240

Refer to 6.5, “McDATA FICON Director EFC Manager” on page 73 for more
details on how to invoke the EFC Product Manager. Logs can be selected by
clicking the Logs button from the FICON Director Hardware view as it is shown in
Figure 174.

Figure 174. McDATA FICON Director Logs

The Audit, Event, Hardware, and Link Incident logs store up to 1000 entries each.
The most recent entry displays at the top of the log. After 1000 entries are stored,
new entries overwrite the oldest entries.

236 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Figure 175. The McDATA FICON Director Audit Log display panel

The audit log displays a history of all configuration changes applied to the FICON
Director from any source, such as Product Manager, operator panel, and SNMP.

Refer to McDATA ED-5000 or ED-6064 User Manual in the “Using Logs” chapter
for more details.

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 237

Figure 176. The McDATA FICON Director Event Log display panel

The event log provides a record of significant events that have occurred on the
FICON Director, such as FRU failures, degraded operation, and port problems.

All detected firmware faults and hardware failures are reported to the operator
panel and sent to the EFC Server for recording in the event log.

For detailed information on event data and problem resolution, refer to FICON
Director Service Manual.

Refer to McDATA ED-5000 or ED-6064 User Manual in the “Using Logs” chapter
for more details.

238 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Figure 177. The McDATA FICON Director Hardware Log display panel

The hardware log displays information on FRUs inserted and removed from the
ED-5000.

Refer to McDATA ED-5000 or ED-6064 User Manual in the “Using Logs” chapter
for more details.

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 239

 Figure 178. The McDATA FICON Director Link Incident Log display panel

The link incident log displays the 1000 most recent link incidents with the date the
incident occurred, the time it occurred, and the port on which the incident took
place. Please note that the note column displays the port number and not the port
address.

Refer to McDATA ED-5000 or ED-6064 User Manual in the “Using Logs” chapter
for more details.

240 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

16.4 z/OS and OS/390 FICON problem determination
This section discusses software problem determination in a FICON environment.

16.4.1 z/OS and OS/390 commands

A number of z/OS and OS/390 commands are available to display the status of
CHPIDs, devices, and their paths.

D M=CHP
The D M=CHP command displays the status and type of CHPIDs.

D M=CHP

IEE174I 11.06.02 DISPLAY M 318

CHANNEL PATH STATUS
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 89A BCDEF
0 + + + + . . . . +++ +....
1 . . . . . . . . ... .+.++
2 . . . . . . + . ... .....
/ / / /
C . . . . . . + . ... .....
D . . . . . . . . +.. .....
F - . . . + . . . +++ .+++.
************************ SYMBOL EXPLANATIONS ************************
+ ONLINE @ PATH NOT VALIDATED - OFFLINE . DOES NOT EXIST
* MANAGED AND ONLINE # MANAGED AND OFFLINE
CHANNEL PATH TYPE STATUS
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
0 05 05 05 05 00 00 00 00 05 05 09 05 00 00 00 00
1 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 05 06 05 05
2 00 00 00 00 00 00 18 19 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
/ / / /
C 00 00 00 00 00 00 18 19 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
D 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 18 19 00 00 00 00 00 00
F 1B 00 00 00 1B 00 00 00 1B 1D 1B 00 1B 1B 1B 00
************************ SYMBOL EXPLANATIONS ************************
00 UNKNOWN UNDEF
01 PARALLEL BLOCK MULTIPLEX BLOCK
02 PARALLEL BYTE MULTIPLEX BYTE
03 ESCON POINT TO POINT CNC_P
04 ESCON SWITCHED OR POINT TO POINT CNC_?
05 ESCON SWITCHED POINT TO POINT CNC_S
06 ESCON PATH TO A BLOCK CONVERTER CVC
07 NATIVE INTERFACE NTV
08 CTC POINT TO POINT CTC_P
09 CTC SWITCHED POINT TO POINT CTC_S
0A CTC SWITCHED OR POINT TO POINT CTC_?
0B COUPLING FACILITY SENDER CFS
0C COUPLING FACILITY RECEIVER CFR
0D UNKNOWN UNDEF
0E UNKNOWN UNDEF
0F ESCON PATH TO A BYTE CONVERTER CBY
10 OSA EXPRESS OSE
11 OSA DIRECT EXPRESS OSD
12 OPEN SYSTEMS ADAPTER OSA
13 INTERNAL SYSTEM DEVICE ISD
14 RESERVED UNDEF
15 RESERVED UNDEF
16 CLUSTER BUS SENDER CBS
17 CLUSTER BUS RECEIVER CBR
18 INTERNAL COUPLING SENDER ICS
19 INTERNAL COUPLING RECEIVER ICR
1A FICON POINT TO POINT FC
1B FICON SWITCHED FC_S
1C FICON TO ESCON BRIDGE FCV
1D FICON INCOMPLETE FC_?
1E DIRECT SYSTEM DEVICE DSD
1F EMULATED I/O EIO
20 RESERVED UNDEF
21 INTEGRATED CLUSTER BUS PEER CBP
22 COUPLING FACILITY PEER CFP
23 INTERNAL COUPLING PEER ICP
NA INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE

The first part of the display shows the local status of the CHPIDs (online, and so
on), while the second part of the display provides information about the type of

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 241

 every CHPID installed on the processor. The symbols associated with FICON
CHPIDs include:
• 1A - FICON POINT TO POINT (FC)
The CHPID is a FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode connected
point-to-point to a FICON-capable control unit.
• 1B - FICON SWITCHED (FC_S)
The CHPID is a FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode connected to a
FICON Director.
• 1C - FICON TO ESCON BRIDGE (FCV)
The CHPID is a FICON channel operating in FICON conversion (FCV) mode
attached to a 9032-5 ESCON Director FICON Bridge adapter.
• 1D - FICON INCOMPLETE (FC_?)
The CHPID is defined as a FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode but is
not initialized. This state can occur if the CHPID has an incomplete definition,
or is not physically connected to a control unit, for example.

More detailed information and examples of each of these FICON CHPID states
are provided in subsequent sections.

D M=CHP(cc)
The D M=CHP(cc) command displays the status of an individual CHPID.

The following display is sample output of the D M=CHP(cc) command for a

FICON channel in FICON native (FC) mode, connected to a FICON Director, type
FC_S.

D M=CHP(FA)

IEE174I 09.23.29 DISPLAY M 081

CHPID FA: TYPE=1B, DESC=FICON SWITCHED, ONLINE
DEVICE STATUS FOR CHANNEL PATH FA
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
050 * * + + . . . . . . . . . . . .
CA0 + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
CA1 + + + + + + + + UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL
CA2 UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL
CA3 UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL UL
// //
CDE AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL
CDF AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL
SWITCH DEVICE NUMBER = B550
************************ SYMBOL EXPLANATIONS ************************
+ ONLINE @ PATH NOT VALIDATED - OFFLINE . DOES NOT EXIST
* PHYSICALLY ONLINE $ PATH NOT OPERATIONAL
BX DEVICE IS BOXED SN SUBCHANNEL NOT AVAILABLE
DN DEVICE NOT AVAILABLE PE SUBCHANNEL IN PERMANENT ERROR
AL DEVICE IS AN ALIAS UL DEVICE IS AN UNBOUND ALIAS

Note the reported description for CHPID FA in the above dsplay: FICON
SWITCHED.

The following display is sample output of the D M=CHP(cc) command for a

FICON conversion CHPID, type FCV.

242 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 D M=CHP(5C)

IEE174I 10.33.11 DISPLAY M 060

CHPID 5C: TYPE=1C, DESC=FICON TO ESCON BRIDGE, ONLINE
DEVICE STATUS FOR CHANNEL PATH 5C
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +
0FC $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@
0FD $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@
0FE + + + + + + +@ + + + + + + + + +
0FF + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +@
202 + + + + + + + + + + + . + + + .
203 + + + + + $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@ $@
20A + + + + + + + + + + + + + + $@ $@
240 + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +@ +@
.. ..
25E + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
25F + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
SWITCH DEVICE NUMBER = 001F
************************ SYMBOL EXPLANATIONS ********************
+ ONLINE @ PATH NOT VALIDATED - OFFLINE . DOES NOT EXIST
* PHYSICALLY ONLINE $ PATH NOT OPERATIONAL

The following display is sample output of the D M=CHP(cc) command for a

FICON native (FC) mode CHPID, type FC_?.

D M=CHP(F9)

IEE174I 10.25.16 DISPLAY M 274

CHPID F9: TYPE=1D, DESC=FICON INCOMPLETE, ONLINE
DEVICE STATUS FOR CHANNEL PATH F9
NO DEVICES ARE ACCESSIBLE THROUGH THIS CHANNEL PATH
SWITCH DEVICE NUMBER = NONE
************************ SYMBOL EXPLANATIONS ************************
+ ONLINE @ PATH NOT VALIDATED - OFFLINE . DOES NOT EXIST
* PHYSICALLY ONLINE $ PATH NOT OPERATIONAL

For this display, there are no devices accessible through this FICON
INCOMPLETE channel.

D U,,,dddd,1
The Display Units command is useful for determining the z/OS status of a device.
An example is shown in the following screen.

D U,,,CA00,8

IEE457I 10.11.51 UNIT STATUS 969

UNIT TYPE STATUS VOLSER VOLSTATE
CA00 3390 O SGT401 PRIV/RSDNT
CA01 3390 A-SPD PGE9D6 PRIV/RSDNT
CA02 3390 O PGE9D7 PRIV/RSDNT
CA03 3390 A UCAT44 PRIV/RSDNT
CA04 3390 A SPOLJ4 PRIV/RSDNT
CA05 3390 A-SPD SMF57A PRIV/RSDNT
CA06 3390 A-SPD PGE9D3 PRIV/RSDNT
CA07 3390 O PGE9D4 PRIV/RSDNT

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 243

 Note that there is no information in the output of the Display Units command to
identify a device as FICON-attached.

D M=DEV(dddd)
The following screen shows the output of the Display Matrix command for a
device connected to FICON native (FC) channels.

D M=DEV(CA01)

IEE174I 10.46.00 DISPLAY M 496

DEVICE CA01 STATUS=ONLINE
CHP FD F0 9C 08 FA
DEST LINK ADDRESS 1C 29 D7 F1 1D
DEST LOGICAL ADDRESS 02 02 02 02 02
PATH ONLINE Y N N Y Y
CHP PHYSICALLY ONLINE Y N N Y Y
PATH OPERATIONAL Y N N Y Y
MANAGED N N N N N
MAXIMUM MANAGED CHPID(S) ALLOWED: 0
ND = 002105. .IBM.13.000000017791
DEVICE NED = 2105. .IBM.13.000000017791
PAV BASE AND ALIASES 3

This display lists the CHPIDs defined for device number CA01. It also lists the
destination link address for each CHPID, and the destination logical control unit,
in this case CUADD, or CU image, 2. Once again there is nothing in this display
to identify this device as FICON-attachable. The display would look the same for
a device configured on ESCON switched point-to-point channels.

DS P,dddd
Another useful command for determining the status of paths to a device is the
DFSMS DEVSERV Paths command. Sample output is shown below.

DS P,CA01

IEE459I 10.35.17 DEVSERV PATHS 330

UNIT DTYPE M CNT VOLSER CHPID=PATH STATUS
RTYPE SSID CFW TC DFW PIN DC-STATE CCA DDC ALT CU-TYPE
CA01,33909 ,A,000,PGE9D6,FD=+ F0=- 9C=- 08=+ FA=+
2105 9102 Y YY. YY. N SIMPLEX 01 01 2105
************************ SYMBOL DEFINITIONS ************************
A = ALLOCATED + = PATH AVAILABLE
- = LOGICALLY OFF, PHYSICALLY OFF

This display is only available for disk and tape and is useful in reporting the
real-time state of each path to the device. Once again, there is no information in
the output of this display to identify the device as FICON-attached. This display
would look the same for parallel, ESCON, or FICON channels.

16.4.2 Systems Automation for OS/390 I/O-Ops

SA I/O-Operations supports FICON native (FC) channels and attached control
units and devices. Not all SA I/O-Ops commands are described here, only those
useful for problem determination in a FICON I/O error or configuration problem.

244 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

The following commands are available to display the status of CHPIDs and
devices, and path routing for FICON-attached devices:

Display Switch
The following screen shows an example of the output of the SA I/O-Ops Display
Switch command when the configuration includes FICON Directors.

F IOOPSV2,D S *

IHVC833I SWCH PORTS SWCH STATUS

IHVC834I DEVN LSN UNIQUE ID INSTALLED STATUS CODE
IHVC838I 6F NOT OPEN 1C
IHVC838I 54 NOT OPEN 1C
IHVC838I B550 50 005000001MCD0100000MK00109 33 OPERATIONAL 00
IHVC838I B551 51 005000001MCD0100000MK00107 33 OPERATIONAL 00
IHVC838I B570 70 009032003IBM02000000021425 125 OPERATIONAL 00
IHVC838I B571 71 009032005IBM02000000040331 249 IN CONTENTION 04
IHVC838I B572 72 009032003IBM02000000020155 125 OPERATIONAL 00
IHVC838I B577 77 009032005IBM02000000040332 249 OPERATIONAL 00
IHVC838I B57A 7A 009032003IBM02000000023216 0 NOT OPEN 20
IHVC838I B589 89 009032005IBM02000000040786 0 NOT OPEN 20
IHVO000I I/O-OPS IS READY TO PROCESS OPERATOR COMMANDS

This display shows that the configuration includes two McDATA ED-5000 FICON
Directors, each with 32 ports, as well as a number of IBM 9032 ESCON Directors.
The two McDATA FICON Directors are defined as device numbers B550 and
B551, with Logical Switch Numbers (LSN) 50 and 51, respectively.

Information about an individual switch can be displayed with the SA I/O-Ops

Display Switch dddd command, as shown in the following screen.

F IOOPSV2,D S B550

IHVC833I SWCH PORTS SWCH STATUS

IHVC834I DEVN LSN UNIQUE ID INSTALLED STATUS CODE
IHVC838I B550 50 005000001MCD0100000MK00109 33 OPERATIONAL 00
IHVC835I PORT
IHVC836I STATUS
IHVC837I PORT H B C P PORT NAME I/O DEF
IHVC839I 04 O B Port 00
IHVC839I 05 Port 01 CH
IHVC839I 06 L Port 02
IHVC839I 07 L Port 03
IHVC839I 08 Port 04 CH
IHVC839I 09 Port 05 CH
IHVC839I 0A L Port 06
IHVC839I 0B L Port 07
IHVC839I 0C L Port 08 CU
IHVC839I 0D L Port 09
IHVC839I 0E L Port 0A
IHVC839I 0F L Port 0B
IHVC839I 10 Port 0C CU
IHVC839I 11 O B Port 0D
IHVC839I 12 L Port 0E
IHVC839I 13 L Port 0F
/ / / /
IHVC839I 22 L Port 1E
IHVC839I 23 L Port 1F
IHVC839I FE AS/390 CUP CU
IHVO000I I/O-OPS IS READY TO PROCESS OPERATOR COMMANDS
IHVR010I I/O-OPS COMMAND ENTERED BY SYS OPER ON IHV7A

This display shows the status and port name of each port on the switch. The
status reflects the real-time status of the port:

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 245

 • O - offline
• L - loss of light
• B - blocked

Other status conditions may also be displayed, such as S (service), P

(prohibited), and so on.

The port name is assigned and written by the systems programmer.

Note that there is no change to this display for a FICON Director from that for an
ESCON Director.

Display CHPID
The following screen shows the output of the I/O-Ops Display Channel command
for a FICON native (FC) channel.

F IOOPSV2,D C F8

IHVC999I ESCON MANAGER DISPLAY 237

IHVC815I PORT
IHVC816I CHP SWCH STATUS
IHVC817I CHP TYPE DEVN LSN PORT H B C P PORT NAME
IHVC818I F8 FC_S B551 51 05 Port 01
IHVO000I I/O-OPS IS READY TO PROCESS OPERATOR COMMANDS

Information about CHPID F8 is displayed including its type - FC_S; the switch to
which it is connected - device number B551 and logical switch number 51; the
channel’s entry port - 05; and the status and name of the port.

Display Device
The Display Device command can be used to determine all the devices
connected through a particular switch. The following screen shows an example of
the command used to determine the list of devices accessible through FICON
Director device number B550.

F IOOPSV2,D D * B550
/ / / /
IHVC824I PORT
IHVC825I CHP SWCH STATUS
IHVC826I DEVN CHP TYPE DEVN LSN PORT H B C P PORT NAME
IHVC827I 0500 F4 FC_S B550 50 08 Port 04
IHVC827I FA FC_S B550 50 05 Port 01
IHVC827I FC FC_S B550 50 09 Port 05
IHVC827I 0501 F4 FC_S B550 50 08 Port 04
IHVC827I FA FC_S B550 50 05 Port 01
IHVC827I FC FC_S B550 50 09 Port 05
IHVC827I 0502 F4 FC_S B550 50 08 Port 04
IHVC827I FA FC_S B550 50 05 Port 01
IHVC827I FC FC_S B550 50 09 Port 05
IHVC827I B550 F4 FC_S B550 50 08 Port 04
IHVC827I C800 F4 FC_S B550 50 08 Port 04
// /
IHVC827I CF14 FC FC_S B550 50 09 Port 05
IHVC827I CF15 FC FC_S B550 50 09 Port 05
IHVC827I CF16 FC FC_S B550 50 09 Port 05
IHVC827I CF17 FC FC_S B550 50 09 Port 05
IHVO000I I/O-OPS IS READY TO PROCESS OPERATOR COMMANDS

246 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 The Display Device command can also be used to display the routing for all paths
to a particular device. The following screen shows the output of the I/O-Ops
Display Device command for a device connected to several FICON (FC) switched
channels. Note that this is also an example of an intermix connection. CHPIDs 9C
and 08 and ESCON CNC while CHPIDs FD, F0 and FA are FICON type switched
point-to-point FC_S.

F IOOPSV2,D D CA01 *
// /
IHVC824I PORT
IHVC825I CHP SWCH STATUS
IHVC826I DEVN CHP TYPE DEVN LSN PORT H B C P PORT NAME
IHVC827I CA01 FD FC_S B551 51 08 Port 04
IHVC82AI CNTL UNIT DATA:B551 51 1C Port 18
IHVC827I F0 FC_S
IHVC827I 9C CNC_S
IHVC827I 08 CNC_S
IHVC827I FA FC_S B550 50 05 Port 01
IHVC82AI CNTL UNIT DATA:B550 50 1D Port 19
IHVO000I I/O-OPS IS READY TO PROCESS OPERATOR COMMANDS

This display shows that device number CA01 has five paths defined:
• FD - FICON switched point-to-point (connected to FICON Director B551, LSN
51)
• F0 - FICON switched point-to-point (CHPID offline)
• 9C - ESCON switched point-to-point (CHPID offline)
• 08 - ESCON switched point-to-point (CHPID offline)
• FA - FICON switched point-to-point (connected to FICON Director B550, LSN
50)

16.4.3 GTF trace

GTF trace is a useful tool for analyzing problems with I/O operations to devices
attached to FICON channels and there are changes to be aware of in the
interpretation of the information presented. More so than in an ESCON or parallel
environment, it is necessary to be aware that the CCW chain traced on a SSCH
entry may not be the CCW chain that is sent on the interface. There are several
events, such as the execution of a PCI, that need to be considered. These events
are discussed in more detail below.

Channel programming changes in a FICON environment are under the control of

bit settings in the ORB, which is traced by GTF on a SSCH. For a performance
problem, it may be necessary to check the ORB settings of the following
FICON-related controls:
• ORBP, prefetch control
• ORBY, read-to-write transition synchronization control
• ORBM, PCI synchronization control

Refer to “CCW and data prefetch and pipelining” on page 208 for more
information on the ORB bit settings.

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 247

 CCW and data prefetch
The following screen shows an example of the ORB with the prefetch bit set in a
GTF trace SSCH entry.

In this scenario, SMF is writing to a data set on device number CAEF, which is on
an IBM ESS 2105 subsystem. The subsystem is connected by both ESCON
(CNC) and FICON native (FC) CHPIDs.

Word 1 of the ORB=03C0D800. Bit 9, ORBP=1, indicating unlimited prefetch of

data and CCWs, is allowed. Incidentally, ORBY (bit 7) and ORBM (bit 6) are also
set to one, which indicates that neither read-to-write transition synchronization
nor PCI synchronization is required. This combination of ORB bit settings allows
optimal operation of the FICON channel.

SSCH.... CAEF ASCB.... 00F4CD00 CPUID... 0000 JOBN.... SMF

RST..... 1C6F9F68 VST..... 0F405F68 DSID.... 00000000
CC...... 00 SEEKA... 00000001 F400090B
GPMSK... 00 OPT..... 04 FMSK.... 10
DVRID... 03 IOSLVL.. 01 UCBLVL.. 01
UCBWGT.. 08 BASE.... CA05
ORB..... 02B474A8 03C0D800 1C6F9F68 00000000 00000000
00000000 00000000 00000000
GMT-05/10/2001 17:53:20.623817 LOC-05/10/2001 13:53:20.623817

CCW CHAIN FORMAT 1 SSCH

DEV..... CAEF ASCB.... 00F4CD00
CPU..... 0000 JOBN.... SMF
0F405F68 63400010 1C6F9F00 00C01000 00000000 | .{...... |
01F40009 01F40009 | .4...4.. |
0F405F70 47400010 1C6F9F10 01000001 01F40009 | .....4.. |
01F40009 0BB80000 | .4...... |
0F405F78 08000000 1C6F9F90
0F405F90 85041000 1C6F9FA0
IDAW 01797FAC 0054 03BE0000 DE1E004C | .......< |
495B0101 130FE2F5 | .$....S5 |
F7C1E2E3 C3400004 | 7ASTC .. |
000000B0 00260001 | ........ |
*** Back half of split data ***
00080001 000001D6 | .......O |
00500001 00000000 | .&...... |

Read-to-write transition and PCI synchronization

The following screen shows an example of an I/O request specifying modification
control (PCI synchronization) and read-to-write transition synchronization. This
I/O request is from SA I/O-Ops, jobname IOOPSV2, to switch device number
B550. ORBP, ORBY and ORBM are all set to zero in word 1 of the ORB.

248 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 SSCH.... B550 ASCB.... 00F4F800 CPUID... 0000 JOBN.... IOOPSV2
RST..... 00EC4000 VST..... 00082000 DSID.... 00000000
CC...... 00 SEEKA... 00000000 00000000
GPMSK... FF OPT..... 40 FMSK.... 00
DVRID... 01 IOSLVL.. 01 UCBLVL.. 01
UCBWGT.. 00 BASE.... B550
ORB..... 00F36220 00808000 00EC4000 00000000 00000000
00000000 00000000 00000000
GMT-05/08/2001 15:18:48.257113 LOC-05/08/2001 11:18:48.257113

CCW CHAIN FORMAT 1 SSCH

DEV..... B550 ASCB.... 00F4F800
CPU..... 0000 JOBN.... IOOPSV2
00082000 0D400004 5D6814F8 0000017F | ..." |
00082008 03000000 00000000
00082010 08000000 00A13000
00071000 06400004 5D6814FC
00071008 B6444000 001AB000
00071010 FA400004 5D681500
00071018 09400008 5D68150C 00010000 04000000 | ........ |
00071020 B2440300 001AB020
00071028 09400008 5D681514 00010000 FE000000 | ........ |
00071030 B2400018 000B6300
00071038 06400004 5D6814F8
00071040 09400008 5D68150C 00010000 04000000 | ........ |
00071048 9A440600 001AB024

Device active only time

APAR OW37986 added device-active-only time to GTF I/O summary trace
records. I/O summary trace records are produced when either option IOX or IOXP
is specified.

16.4.4 ICKDSF logical paths report

When the number of available logical paths to the disk subsystem’s logical
control unit has been exhausted, the ICKDSF ANALYZE function can be used to
generate a report showing the state of the logical paths (established or not
established), and the channel images owning the established logical paths.
Sample JCL for the job is shown below in Figure 179. Note that the device
against which the job is run can be any device on the logical control unit with “CU
resources exceeded” but it must be varied offline first.

//U12345A JOB (999,POK),'LOG PATH ',MSGLEVEL=(1,1),

// CLASS=A,MSGCLASS=T,NOTIFY=&SYSUID
//STEP1 EXEC PGM=ICKDSF
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=*
//SYSIN DD *
ANALYZE UNIT(6421) NODRIVE NOSCAN
/*

Figure 179. Sample ICKDSF JCL for logical paths listing

Figure 180, Figure 181 on page 251, Figure 182 on page 253, and Figure 183 on
page 254 show extracts from the sample output of the ICKDSF job run to a device
on an ESS subsystem configured with FICON native (FC) channels only.

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 249

 ICK00700I DEVICE INFORMATION FOR 9800 IS CURRENTLY AS FOLLOWS:
PHYSICAL DEVICE = 3390
STORAGE CONTROLLER = 2105
STORAGE CONTROL DESCRIPTOR = E8
DEVICE DESCRIPTOR = 0A
ADDITIONAL DEVICE INFORMATION = 4A000035
ICK04000I DEVICE IS IN SIMPLEX STATE
PATH STATUS
+------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| CHPID | 47 | EE | 5B | 84 | 51 | E2 | EF | 95 |
+------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| AVAILABLE | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
+------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| ONLINE | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
+------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| SUBSYSTEM ID | 0900 | 0900 | 0900 | 0900 | 0900 | 0900 | 0900 | 0900 |
+------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| DLSE | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
+------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| CLUSTER | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
+------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| STORAGE PATH 0 | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
+------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
| STORAGE PATH 1 | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
+------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
- = NOT APPLICABLE
STORAGE PATH :
A = ATTACHED
D = DISABLED
F = DEVICE FENCED FROM STORAGE PATH
C = CHANNEL FENCED FROM STORAGE PATH

Figure 180. Sample ICKDSF logical path report - part 1

The first part of the ICKDSF logical path report, shown in Figure 180, provides
information about the device and the paths to the device.

250 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 LOGICAL PATH STATUS
+----------------+---------+---------+---------+------------------------------+
| LOGICAL PATH | | | | HOST PATH GROUP ID |
| | SYSTEM | HOST | |------------+------+----------|
|---------+------| ADAPTER | LINK | FENCED | CPU | CPU | CPU TIME |
| NUMBER | TYPE | ID | ADDRESS | | SERIAL # | TYPE | STAMP |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|1 | F/E | 08 | 11260000| | 0000011511 | 2064 | B5D571BB |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|2-8 | F/L | 08 | 11260000| | 0000011511 | 2064 | B5D571BB |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|9 | F/E | 08 | 11280000| | 0000011511 | 2064 | B5D571BB |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|10-16 | F/L | 08 | 11280000| | 0000011511 | 2064 | B5D571BB |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|17 | F/L | 08 | 11320000| | | | |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
/ / /
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|35 | F/L | 08 | 11180000| | 0000010A74 | 2064 | B5D57C72 |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|36 | F/L | 08 | 11370000| | | | |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|37 | F/L | 08 | 11180000| | 0000010A74 | 2064 | B5D57C72 |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|38 | F/L | 08 | 11370000| | 0000010A74 | 2064 | B5D57C72 |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|39 | F/L | 08 | 11010000| | 0000010A74 | 2064 | B5D57C72 |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|40 | F/L | 08 | 11370000| | 0000010A74 | 2064 | B5D57C72 |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|41 | F/L | 08 | 11010000| | 0000010A74 | 2064 | B5D57C72 |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|42 | F/E | 08 | 11010000| | 0000010A74 | 2064 | B5D57C72 |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|43-45 | F/L | 08 | 11240000| | 0000010A74 | 2064 | B5D57C72 |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
/ / /
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|1025-1088| N/E | A4-A4 | | | | | |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|1089-1152| N/E | A5-A5 | | | | | |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|1153-1216| N/E | A0-A0 | | | | | |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|1217-1280| N/E | A1-A1 | | | | | |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
|1281-2048| P | 00 | | | | | |
+---------+------+---------+---------+---------+------------+------+----------+
LOGICAL PATH :
P = PARALLEL
N/E = NOT ESTABLISHED
F/N = FICON - NOT ESTABLISHED
F/E = FICON - ESTABLISHED
F/L = FICON - ESTABLISHED TO ANOTHER LOGICAL SUBSYSTEM

Figure 181. Sample ICKDSF logical path report - part 2

The extract from the report shown in Figure 181 lists:

• The logical path by number (the FICON-capable ESS supports a maximum of
2048 logical paths for all fibre-channel in FC-SB2 mode (FICON) logical
control units)
• The state of the logical path (whether it is established or not)
• The host link address
• The host path group information for established logical paths

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 251

 For example, logical paths 35 and 37 to 45 are established by the channel image
on the zSeries processor with serial number 10A74. The operating system host
path group ID information is 0000010A742064B5D57C72. The CPU serial # and
CPU type portions of this host path group ID can be matched to the output of the
D M=CPU command issued on the z/OS console.

The report is run for any device number on the required logical control unit. The
paths with status F/E are those established for this specific logical control unit.
Paths with status F/L are established for some other logical control unit than that
associated with the device for which the report was run. Therefore, if this logical
control unit has a “control unit resources exceeded” condition, the logical paths of
interest are those with status F/E. These should be matched with the owning
operating systems (through the use of the D M=CPU command output) to
determine who owns all the possible logical paths for this logical control unit.

Some other points to note in this report:

• Logical path number 17 has status F/L, which means the logical path is
established but has no host path group ID information. In this case, the
processor has been POR and/or logical partition activated (if the processor is
in LPAR mode) and the FICON channel has established a logical path with the
defined logical control unit on the ESS subsystem. However, the operating
system IPL is not yet complete.
• The information in the column marked Host Link Address consists of:
- The 24-bit Fibre Channel port address
- The one-byte channel image ID
The channel image ID of zero is used for an image on a processor in Basic
mode, or for a channel that is not shared (defined as dedicated or
reconfigurable) on a processor in LPAR mode.

252 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 INTERFACE INFORMATION
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| TYPE | SYSTEM | PORT |
| | ADAPTER | LINK |
| | ID | ADDRESS |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| F | 08 | 000033 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 04 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 05 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 00 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 01 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| F | 88 | 000071 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 84 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 85 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 80 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 81 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| F | 28 | 000070 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 24 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 25 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 20 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | 21 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| F | A8 | 000A20 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | A4 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | A5 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | A0 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
| E | A1 | N/A |
+--------+-----------+-------------+
N/A=NOT AVAILABLE OR NOT ASSIGNED
INTERFACE TYPE :
E = ESCON
F = FICON
HOST INTERFACE INFORMATION

Figure 182. Sample ICKDSF logical path report - part 3

This section of the logical path report provides information about each ESCON or
Fibre Channel host adapter (FC 3021 or 3023) in FC-SB2 mode (FICON).

Chapter 16. FICON problem determination 253

 HOST INTERFACE INFORMATION
+--------+-----------+-------------+---------+
| TYPE | CHPID | HOST | SYSTEM |
| | | LINK | ADAPTER |
| | | ADDRESS | ID |
+--------+-----------+-------------+---------+
| F | 47 | 10380000 | 28 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+---------+
| F | EE | 10650000 | 88 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+---------+
| F | 5B | 11010000 | 08 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+---------+
| F | 84 | 21081300 | A8 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+---------+
| F | 51 | 10010000 | 28 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+---------+
| F | E2 | 10770000 | 88 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+---------+
| F | EF | 11370000 | 08 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+---------+
| F | 95 | 21091300 | A8 |
+--------+-----------+-------------+---------+
- = NOT APPLICABLE
INTERFACE TYPE :
F = FICON

Figure 183. Sample ICKDSF logical path report - part 4

This section of the logical path report shows information about the interfaces from
the system where the report was run to the logical control unit associated with the
device for which the report was run.

254 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Appendix A. Determining the EC level of the CPC
The EC level of the zSeries 900 or 9672 G5/G6 processor can be determined
from the Hardware Management Console or Support Element using the following
procedure:
1. Open the Task List from the Views area.
2. Open Change Management Tasks from the Task List Work Area.
3. Open Groups from the Views area.
4. Open the group that contains the CPC you are interested in.
5. Select the CPC.
6. Drag and drop the selected CPC object onto System Information or CPC EC
Details in the Change Management tasks area.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 255

256 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
Appendix B. Determining the stand-alone IOCP release
The stand-alone IOCP version and release can be determined from the Hardware
Management Console or Support Element using the following procedures (begin
with step 7 for the Support Element console):
1. Open Task List from the Views area.
2. Open CPC Recovery Tasks from the Task List Work Area.
3. Open Groups from the Views area.
4. Open the group that contains the CPC you are interested in.
5. Select the CPC.
6. Drag and drop the selected CPC object onto Single Object Operations in the
CPC Recovery tasks area.
7. Open Task List from the Views area.
8. Open CPC Configuration from the Task List Work Area.
9. Open Groups from the Views area.
10.Drag and drop the selected CPC object onto Input/Output (I/O) Configuration
in the CPC Configuration tasks area. Continue with step 14.
11.Select Customize from the System panel.
12.Select Input/output (I/O) configuration.
13.Select the View pull-down.
14.Select Configuration program level.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 257

258 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
Appendix C. SMF record changes for FICON
APAR OW35586 introduces the following changes to SMF records in support of
FICON.

SMF Type 73, the Channel Path Control Section, contains the information shown
in Table 32.
Table 32. SMF type 73 Channel Path Control section

Offset Name Length Format Description

dec (hex)

4 (4) SMF73CFL 1 Binary Configuration change flags

VALUE MEANING
7 CPMF mode has
changed

90 (5A) SMF73CMI 1 Binary CPMF mode

VALUE MEANING

0 CPMF not active

1 Compatibility mode

2 Extended mode

91 (5B) 1 Reserved

SMF Type 73, the Channel Path Data Section, contains the information shown in
Table 33.
Table 33. SMF type 73 Channel Path Data section

Offset Name Length Format Description

dec (hex)

22 (16) SMF73CMG 1 Binary CPMF channel measurement group

23 (17) SMF73FG5 1 Binary CPMF validation flags

Bit Measurement Data

0 Maximum bus cycles

1 Maximum channel
work units

2 Maximum write units

3 Maximum read units

4 Data unit size

5-7 Reserved

24 (18) SMF73CCM 48 CPMF channel measurement data

(extended mode). See contents for
measurement group 1 and
measurement group 2 below.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 259

 SMF Type 73, CPMF Channel Measurement Data (Measurement Group 1)
contains the information shown in Table 34.
Table 34. SMF type 73 Channel Measurement Data (Measurement Group 1)

Offset Name Length Format Description

dec (hex)

0 (0) SMF73TUT 4 s-float Total channel path

busy time (in units
of 128
microseconds)

4 (4) SMF73PUT 4 s-float LPAR channel path

busy time (in units
of 128
microseconds)

8 (8) 40 Reserved

SMF Type 73, CPMF Channel Measurement Data (Measurement Group 2)

contains the information shown in Table 35.
Table 35. SMF type 73 Channel Measurement Data (Measurement Group 2)

Offset Name Length Format Description

dec (hex)

0 (0) SMF73MBC 4 s-float Maximum bus

cycles per sec

4 (4) SMF73MCU 4 s-float Maximum channel

work units per sec

8 (8) SMF73MWU 4 s-float Maximum write

data units per sec

12 (C) SMF73MRU 4 s-float Maximum read

data units per sec

16 (10) SMF73US 4 s-float Data unit size in

bytes

20 (14) SMF73TBC 4 s-float Total bus cycles

count

24 (18) SMF73TUC 4 s-float Total channel work

units count

28 (1C) SMF73PUC 4 s-float LPAR channel work

units count

32 (20) SMF73TWU 4 s-float Total write data

units count

36 (24) SMF73PWU 4 s-float LPAR write data

units count

40 (28) SMF73TRU 4 s-float Total read data

units count

44 (2C) SMF73PRU 4 s-float LPAR read data

units count

260 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

SMF Type 79-12, the Channel Path Control Section, contains the information
shown in Table 36.
Table 36. SMF type 79-12 Channel Path Control section

Offset Name Length Format Description

dec (hex)

4 (4) R79CFLG1 1 Binary Configuration change flags

VALUE MEANING
1 CPMF mode has
changed

5 (5) R79CCMI 1 Binary CPMF mode

VALUE MEANING

0 CPMF not active

1 Compatibility mode

2 Extended mode

6 (6) 2 Reserved

SMF Type 79-12, the Channel Path Data Section, contains the information shown
in Table 37.
Table 37. SMF type 79-12 Channel Path Data section

Offset Name Length Format Description

dec (hex)

21 (15) R79CCMG 1 Binary CPMF channel measurement group

22 (16) R79CFG4 1 Binary CPMF validation flags.

Bit Measurement Data

0 Maximum bus cycles

1 Maximum channel
work units

2 Maximum write units

3 Maximum read units

4 Data unit size

5-7 Reserved

23 (17) 1 Reserved

24 (18) R79CCM 48 EBCDIC CPMF channel measurement data

(extended mode). See contents for
measurement group 1 and
measurement group 2 following.

Appendix C. SMF record changes for FICON 261

 SMF Type 79-12, CPMF Channel Measurement Data (Measurement Group 1)
contains the information shown in Table 38.
Table 38. SMF type 79-12 Channel Measurement Data (Measurement Group 1)

Offset Name Length Format Description

dec (hex)

0 (0) R79CTUT 4 s-float Total channel path

busy time (in units
of 128
microseconds)

4 (4) R79CPUT 4 s-float LPAR channel path

busy time (in units
of 128
microseconds)

8 (8) 40 Reserved

SMF Type 79-12, CPMF Channel Measurement Data (Measurement Group 2)

contains the information shown in Table 39.
Table 39. SMF type 79-12 Channel Measurement Data (Measurement Group 2)

Offset Name Length Format Description

dec (hex)

0 (0) R79CMBC 4 s-float Maximum bus

cycles per sec

4 (4) R79CMCU 4 s-float Maximum channel

work units per sec

8 (8) R79CMWU 4 s-float Maximum write

data units per sec

12 (C) R79CMRU 4 s-float Maximum read

data units per sec

16 (10) R79CUS 4 s-float Data unit size in

bytes

20 (14) R79CTBC 4 s-float Total bus cycles

count

24 (18) R79CTUC 4 s-float Total channel work

units count

28 (1C) R79CPUC 4 s-float LPAR channel work

units count

32 (20) R79CTWU 4 s-float Total write data

units count

36 (24) R79CPWU 4 s-float LPAR write data

units count

40 (28) R79CTRU 4 s-float Total read data

units count

44 (2C) R79CPRU 4 s-float LPAR read data

units count

262 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 Table 40. FICON Director port configuration

FICON Director Type _______ Model _____ FICON Director S/N ___________

HCD defined Switch ID ___

FICON Director Domain ID ___

FICON F_Ports Attached N_Ports (Control Unit or CPC)

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001

Slot Port Port GBIC Node Machine Serial CU I/F
number number Address Type Port Name Type: Type Model Number or
(LW/SW) CU / CHN CPC CHPID
Appendix D. FICON Director port configuration worksheet

263
264 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
Appendix E. Special notices
This publication is intended to help system programmers, hardware planners, and
system engineers who will plan and install FICON native (FC) products in a zSeries
900 and 9672 Generation 5 (G5) and Generation 6 (G6) environment. The
information in this publication is not intended as the specification of any
programming interfaces that are provided by FICON native (FC) products. See the
PUBLICATIONS section of the IBM Programming Announcement for your specific
FICON native (FC) product for more information about what publications are
considered to be product documentation.

References in this publication to IBM products, programs or services do not imply

that IBM intends to make these available in all countries in which IBM operates.
Any reference to an IBM product, program, or service is not intended to state or
imply that only IBM's product, program, or service may be used. Any functionally
equivalent program that does not infringe any of IBM's intellectual property rights
may be used instead of the IBM product, program or service.

Information in this book was developed in conjunction with use of the equipment
specified, and is limited in application to those specific hardware and software
products and levels.

IBM may have patents or pending patent applications covering subject matter in
this document. The furnishing of this document does not give you any license to
these patents. You can send license inquiries, in writing, to the IBM Director of
Licensing, IBM Corporation, North Castle Drive, Armonk, NY 10504-1785.

Licensees of this program who wish to have information about it for the purpose
of enabling: (i) the exchange of information between independently created
programs and other programs (including this one) and (ii) the mutual use of the
information which has been exchanged, should contact IBM Corporation, Dept.
600A, Mail Drop 1329, Somers, NY 10589 USA.

Such information may be available, subject to appropriate terms and conditions,

including in some cases, payment of a fee.

The information contained in this document has not been submitted to any formal
IBM test and is distributed AS IS. The use of this information or the
implementation of any of these techniques is a customer responsibility and
depends on the customer's ability to evaluate and integrate them into the
customer's operational environment. While each item may have been reviewed
by IBM for accuracy in a specific situation, there is no guarantee that the same or
similar results will be obtained elsewhere. Customers attempting to adapt these
techniques to their own environments do so at their own risk.

Any pointers in this publication to external Web sites are provided for
convenience only and do not in any manner serve as an endorsement of these
Web sites.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 265

 The following terms are trademarks of the International Business Machines
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries:
e (logo)® Redbooks
IBM â Redbooks Logo
AFP RACF
AS/400 RMF
AT RS/6000
CT S/370
CUA S/390
Current SP
Enterprise Storage Server System/36
Enterprise Systems Architecture/390 System/360
ESCON System/370
FICON System/390
Infoprint VM/ESA
Netfinity VSE/ESA
OS/390 Wave
Parallel Sysplex XT
PR/SM 400
Print Services Facility Lotus

The following terms are trademarks of other companies:

Tivoli, Manage. Anything. Anywhere.,The Power To Manage., Anything.

Anywhere.,TME, NetView, Cross-Site, Tivoli Ready, Tivoli Certified, Planet Tivoli,
and Tivoli Enterprise are trademarks or registered trademarks of Tivoli Systems
Inc., an IBM company, in the United States, other countries, or both. In Denmark,
Tivoli is a trademark licensed from Kjøbenhavns Sommer - Tivoli A/S.

C-bus is a trademark of Corollary, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, and the Windows logo are trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

PC Direct is a trademark of Ziff Communications Company in the United States

and/or other countries and is used by IBM Corporation under license.

ActionMedia, LANDesk, MMX, Pentium and ProShare are trademarks of Intel

Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries licensed
exclusively through The Open Group.

SET, SET Secure Electronic Transaction, and the SET Logo are trademarks owned
by SET Secure Electronic Transaction LLC.

Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks
of others.

266 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Appendix F. Related publications
The publications listed in this section are considered particularly suitable for a
more detailed discussion of the topics covered in this redbook.

F.1 IBM Redbooks

For information on ordering these publications see “How to get IBM Redbooks” on
page 269.
• FICON (FCV Mode) Planning Guide, SG24-5445
• FICON Introduction, SG24-5176
• FICON Implementation, SG24-5169
• IBM ESCON Director 9032-5 Presentation, SG24-2005
• IBM Fiber Saver (2029) Implementation Guide, SG24-5608
• Enterprise Systems Connection (ESCON) Implementation Guide, SG24-4662

F.2 IBM Redbooks collections

Redbooks are also available on the following CD-ROMs. Click the CD-ROMs
button at ibm.com/redbooks for information about all the CD-ROMs offered,
updates and formats.
CD-ROM Title Collection Kit
Number
IBM System/390 Redbooks Collection SK2T-2177
IBM Networking Redbooks Collection SK2T-6022
IBM Transaction Processing and Data Management Redbooks Collection SK2T-8038
IBM Lotus Redbooks Collection SK2T-8039
Tivoli Redbooks Collection SK2T-8044
IBM AS/400 Redbooks Collection SK2T-2849
IBM Netfinity Hardware and Software Redbooks Collection SK2T-8046
IBM RS/6000 Redbooks Collection SK2T-8043
IBM Application Development Redbooks Collection SK2T-8037
IBM Enterprise Storage and Systems Management Solutions SK3T-3694

F.3 Other resources

These publications are also relevant as further information sources:
• OS/390 RMF Performance Management Guide, SC28-1951
• Planning for the 9032 Model 3, 9033 Model 4, and 9032 Model 5, SA22-7295
• S/390 I/O Configuration Program User’s Guide and ESCON
Channel-to-Channel Reference, GC38-0401
• Fiber Optic Link Planning, GA23-0367
• Fiber Channel Connection for S/390 I/O Interface Physical Layer, SA23-0395
• S/390 (FICON) I/O Interface Physical Layer, SA24-7172
• IBM Cabling System Optical Fiber Planning and Installation, GA27-3943
• Planning for the 9032 Model 5 with FICON Converter Feature, SA22-7415

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 267

 • Installation Manual-Physical Planning, G5/G6, GC22-7106

F.4 Referenced Web sites

These Web sites are also relevant as further information sources:
• Technical Committee for project development of device level interface
standards:
http://www.t11.org

268 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

How to get IBM Redbooks
This section explains how both customers and IBM employees can find out about IBM Redbooks, redpieces, and
CD-ROMs. A form for ordering books and CD-ROMs by fax or e-mail is also provided.
• Redbooks Web Site ibm.com/redbooks
Search for, view, download, or order hardcopy/CD-ROM Redbooks from the Redbooks Web site. Also read
redpieces and download additional materials (code samples or diskette/CD-ROM images) from this Redbooks
site.
Redpieces are Redbooks in progress; not all Redbooks become redpieces and sometimes just a few chapters will
be published this way. The intent is to get the information out much quicker than the formal publishing process
allows.
• E-mail Orders
Send orders by e-mail including information from the IBM Redbooks fax order form to:
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In United States or Canada [email protected]
Outside North America Contact information is in the “How to Order” section at this site:
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• Telephone Orders
United States (toll free) 1-800-879-2755
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Outside North America Country coordinator phone number is in the “How to Order” section at
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This information was current at the time of publication, but is continually subject to change. The latest information
may be found at the Redbooks Web site.

IBM Intranet for Employees

IBM employees may register for information on workshops, residencies, and Redbooks by accessing the IBM
Intranet Web site at http://w3.itso.ibm.com/ and clicking the ITSO Mailing List button. Look in the Materials
repository for workshops, presentations, papers, and Web pages developed and written by the ITSO technical
professionals; click the Additional Materials button. Employees may access MyNews at http://w3.ibm.com/ for
redbook, residency, and workshop announcements.

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 269

IBM Redbooks fax order form
Please send me the following:
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270 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

Glossary
This glossary includes terms for the zSeries and chained. In an ESCON environment, pertaining to the
System/390 (S/390) processors, ESCON and FICON physical attachment of two ESCON Directors (ESCDs)
channels, ESCON Director products, FICON Fibre to each other.
Channel switches, and for the FICON environment.
channel. (1) A processor system element that controls
A one channel path, whose mode of operation depends
on the type of hardware to which it is attached. In a
active configuration. In an ESCON environment, the channel subsystem, each channel controls an I/O
ESCON Director configuration determined by the interface between the channel control element and the
status of the current set of connectivity attributes. logically attached control units. (2) In the ESA/390 or
Contrast with saved configuration. zSeries architecture (z/Architecture), the part of a
allowed. In an ESCON Director, the attribute that, channel subsystem that manages a single I/O
when set, establishes dynamic connectivity capability. interface between a channel subsystem and a set of
Contrast with prohibited. controllers (control units).

American National Standards Institute (ANSI). An channel path (CHP). A single interface between a
organization consisting of producers, consumers, and central processor and one or more control units along
general interest groups, that establishes the which signals and data can be sent to perform I/O
procedures by which accredited organizations create requests.
and maintain voluntary industry standards in the channel path identifier (CHPID). In a channel
United States. subsystem, a value assigned to each installed channel
ANSI. See American National Standards Institute. path of the system that uniquely identifies that path to
the system.
APAR. See authorized program analysis report.
channel subsystem (CSS). Relieves the processor of
authorized program analysis report (APAR). A direct I/O communication tasks, and performs path
report of a problem caused by a suspected defect in a management functions. Uses a collection of
current, unaltered release of a program. subchannels to direct a channel to control the flow of
information between I/O devices and main storage.
B
channel-attached. (1) Pertaining to attachment of
basic mode. A S/390 or zSeries central processing devices directly by data channels (I/O channels) to a
mode that does not use logical partitioning. Contrast computer. (2) Pertaining to devices attached to a
with logically partitioned (LPAR) mode. controlling unit by cables rather than by
blocked. In an ESCON Director, the attribute that, telecommunication lines.
when set, removes the communication capability of a CHPID. Channel path identifier.
specific port. Contrast with unblocked.
cladding. In an optical cable, the region of low
byte. (1) In fibre channel, an eight-bit entity prior to refractive index surrounding the core. See also core
encoding or after decoding, with its least significant bit and optical fiber.
denoted as bit 0, and most significant bit as bit 7. The
most significant bit is shown on the left side in FC-FS CNC. Mnemonic for an ESCON channel used to
unless otherwise shown. (2) In S/390 architecture or communicate to an ESCON-capable device.
zSeries z/Architecture (and FICON), an eight-bit entity configuration matrix. In an ESCON environment or
prior to encoding or after decoding, with its least FICON, an array of connectivity attributes that appear
significant bit denoted as bit 7, and most significant bit as rows and columns on a display device and can be
as bit 0. The most significant bit is shown on the left used to determine or change active and saved ESCON
side in S/390 architecture and zSeries z/Architecture. or FICON director configurations.
C connected. In an ESCON Director, the attribute that,
when set, establishes a dedicated connection between
Cascade switches. The connecting of one Fibre two ESCON ports. Contrast with disconnected.
Channel switch to another Fibre Channel switch,
thereby creating a cascaded switch route between two connection. In an ESCON Director, an association
N_Nodes connected to a fibre channel fabric. established between two ports that provides a physical
communication path between them.
CBY. Mnemonic for an ESCON channel attached to an
IBM 9034 convertor. The 9034 converts from ESCON connectivity attribute. In an ESCON and FICON
CBY signals to parallel channel interface (OEMI) Director, the characteristic that determines a particular
communication operating in byte multiplex mode (Bus element of a port's status. See allowed, prohibited,
and Tag). Contrast with CVC. blocked, unblocked, (connected and disconnected).

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 271

control unit. A hardware unit that controls the header that is used to select a specific device on a
reading, writing, or displaying of data at one or more control-unit image.
input/output units.
device number. (1) In ESA/390 and zSeries
core. (1) In an optical cable, the central region of an z/Architecture, a four-hexadecimal character identifier
optical fiber through which light is transmitted. (2) In an (for example, 19A0) that you associate with a device to
optical cable, the central region of an optical fiber that facilitate communication between the program and the
has an index of refraction greater than the surrounding host operator. (2) The device number that you
cladding material. See also cladding and optical fiber. associate with a subchannel that uniquely identifies an
I/O device.
coupler. In an ESCON environment, link hardware
used to join optical fiber connectors of the same type. direct access storage device (DASD). A mass
Contrast with adapter. storage medium on which a computer stores data.
CTC. (1) Channel-to-channel. (2) Mnemonic for an disconnected. In an ESCON Director, the attribute
ESCON channel attached to another ESCON channel, that, when set, removes a dedicated connection.
where one of the two ESCON channels is defined as Contrast with connected.
an ESCON CTC channel and the other ESCON
disk. A mass storage medium on which a computer
channel would be defined as a ESCON CNC channel
stores data.
(3) Mnemonic for a FICON channel supporting a CTC
Control Unit function logically or physically connected disk drive module (DDM). A disk storage medium that
to another FICON channel that also supports a CTC you use for any host data that is stored within a disk
Control Unit function. FICON channels supporting the subsystem.
FICON CTC control unit function are defined as normal distribution panel. (1) In an ESCON and FICON
FICON native (FC) mode channels. environment, a panel that provides a central location
CVC. Mnemonic for an ESCON channel attached to an for the attachment of trunk and jumper cables and can
IBM 9034 convertor. The 9034 converts from ESCON be mounted in a rack, wiring closet, or on a wall.
CVC signals to parallel channel interface (OEMI) duplex. Pertaining to communication in which data or
communication operating in block multiplex mode (Bus control information can be sent and received at the
and Tag). Contrast with CBY. same time, from the same node. Contrast with half
D duplex.
duplex connector. In an ESCON environment, an
DDM. See disk drive module.
optical fiber component that terminates both jumper
dedicated connection. In an ESCON Director, a cable fibers in one housing and provides physical
connection between two ports that is not affected by keying for attachment to a duplex receptacle.
information contained in the transmission frames. This
duplex receptacle. In an ESCON environment, a fixed
connection, which restricts those ports from
or stationary optical fiber component that provides a
communicating with any other port, can be established
keyed attachment method for a duplex connector.
or removed only as a result of actions performed by a
host control program or at the ESCD console. Contrast dynamic connection. In an ESCON Director, a
with dynamic connection. connection between two ports, established or removed
by the ESCD and that, when active, appears as one
Note: The two links having a dedicated connection
continuous link. The duration of the connection
appear as one continuous link.
depends on the protocol defined for the frames
default. Pertaining to an attribute, value, or option that transmitted through the ports and on the state of the
is assumed when none is explicitly specified. ports. Contrast with dedicated connection.
destination. Any point or location, such as a node, dynamic connectivity. In an ESCON Director, the
station, or a particular terminal, to which information is capability that allows connections to be established
to be sent. An example is a Fibre Channel fabric and removed at any time.
F_Port; when attached to a fibre channel N_port,
Dynamic I/O Reconfiguration. A S/390 and
communication to the N_port via the F_port is said to
z/Architecture function that allows I/O configuration
be to the F_Port destination identifier (D_ID).
changes to be made non-disruptively to the current
device. A mechanical, electrical, or electronic operating I/O configuration.
contrivance with a specific purpose.
E
device address. (1) In ESA/390 architecture and
zSeries z/Architecture, the field of an ESCON ELS. See Extended Link Services.
device-level frame that selects a specific device on a EMIF. See ESCON Multiple Image Facility.
control-unit image. (2) In the FICON channel FC-SB-2
architecture, the device address field in an SB-2 Enterprise System Connection (ESCON). (1) An
ESA/390 computer peripheral interface. The I/O

272 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

interface uses ESA/390 logical protocols over a serial fiber optics. The branch of optical technology
interface that configures attached units to a concerned with the transmission of radiant power
communication fabric. (2) A set of IBM products and through fibers made of transparent materials such as
services that provide a dynamically connected glass, fused silica, and plastic.
environment within an enterprise.
Note: Telecommunication applications of fiber optics
use optical fibers. Either a single discrete fiber or a
non-spatially aligned fiber bundle can be used for each
Enterprise Systems Architecture/390 (ESA/390). An
information channel. Such fibers are often called
IBM architecture for mainframe computers and
“optical fibers” to differentiate them from fibers used in
peripherals. Processors that follow this architecture
non-communication applications.
include the S/390 Server family of processors.
fibre channel standard. An ANSI standard for a
ESA/390. See Enterprise Systems Architecture/390.
computer peripheral interface. The I/O interface
ESCD. Enterprise Systems Connection (ESCON) defines a protocol for communication over a serial
Director. interface that configures attached units to a
ESCD console. The ESCON Director display and communication fabric. The protocol has four layers.
keyboard device used to perform operator and service The lower of the four layers defines the physical media
tasks at the ESCD. and interface, the upper of the four layers defines one
or more Upper Layer Protocols (ULP)—for example,
ESCON. See Enterprise System Connection. FCP for SCSI command protocols and FC-SB-2 for
ESCON channel. A channel having an Enterprise FICON protocol supported by ESA/390 and
Systems Connection channel-to-control-unit I/O z/Architecture. Refer to ANSI X3.230.1999x.
interface that uses optical cables as a transmission FICON. (1) An ESA/390 and zSeries computer
medium. May operate in CBY, CNC, CTC or CVC peripheral interface. The I/O interface uses ESA/390
mode. Contrast with parallel channel. and zSeries FICON protocols (FC-FS and FC-SB-2)
ESCON Director. An I/O interface switch that provides over a Fibre Channel serial interface that configures
the interconnection capability of multiple ESCON attached units to a FICON supported Fibre Channel
interfaces (or FICON Bridge (FCV) mode - 9032-5) in a communication fabric. (2) An FC4 proposed standard
distributed-star topology. that defines an effective mechanism for the export of
the SBCCS-2 (FC-SB-2) command protocol via fibre
ESCON Multiple Image Facility (EMIF). In the channels.
ESA/390 architecture and zSeries z/Architecture, a
function that allows LPARs to share an ESCON and FICON channel. A channel having a Fibre Channel
FICON channel path (and other channel types) by connection (FICON) channel-to-control-unit I/O
providing each LPAR with its own channel-subsystem interface that uses optical cables as a transmission
image. medium. May operate in either FC or FCV mode.

Extended Link Services (ELS). An Extended Link FICON Director. A Fibre Channel switch that supports
Service (command) request solicits a destination port the ESCON-like “control unit port” (CUP function) that
(N_Port or F_Port) to perform a function or service. is assigned a 24-bit FC port address to allow FC-SB-2
Each ELS request consists of an Link Service (LS) addressing of the CUP function to perform command
command; the N_Port ELS commands are defined in and data transfer (in the FC world, it is a means of
the FC-FS architecture. in-band management using a FC-4 ULP).
field replaceable unit (FRU). An assembly that is
F replaced in its entirety when any one of its required
FC. (1) (Fibre Channel), a short form when referring to components fails.
something that is part of the fibre channel standard. (2) FRU. See field replaceable unit.
Also used by the IBM I/O definition process when
defining a FICON channel (using IOCP of HCD) that G
will be used in FICON native mode (using the FC-SB-2
communication protocol). Note: The two uses of the Giga bit (Gbit). Usually used to refer to a data rate,
term FC can be confusing at times. the number of Giga bits being transferred in one
second. One Giga bit is 1062.5 Mega bits.(See Mega
FC-FS. Fibre Channel-Framing and Signalling, the bit)
term used to describe the FC-FS architecture.
FCS. See fibre channel standard.
H
fiber. See optical fiber. half duplex. In data communication, pertaining to
transmission in only one direction at a time. Contrast
fiber optic cable. See optical cable. with duplex.

273
hard disk drive. (1) A storage media within a storage IODF. The data set that contains the S/390 or zSeries
server used to maintain information that the storage I/O configuration definition file produced during the
server requires. (2) A mass storage medium for defining of the S/390 or zSeries I/O configuration by
computers that is typically available as a fixed disk or a HCD. Used as a source for IPL, IOCP and Dynamic I/O
removable cartridge. Reconfiguration.
HCD. Hardware Configuration Dialog. IPL. See initial program load.
HDA. Head and disk assembly. J
HDD. See hard disk drive.
jumper cable. In an ESCON and FICON environment,
head and disk assembly. The portion of an HDD an optical cable having two conductors that provides
associated with the medium and the read/write head. physical attachment between a channel and a
distribution panel or an ESCON/FICON Director port or
I a control unit/devices, or between an ESCON/FICON
ID. See identifier. Director port and a distribution panel or a control
unit/device, or between a control unit/device and a
Identifier. A unique name or address that identifies distribution panel. Contrast with trunk cable.
things such as programs, devices or systems.
initial program load (IPL). (1) The initialization
L
procedure that causes an operating system to LAN. See local area network.
commence operation. (2) The process by which a
laser. A device that produces optical radiation using a
configuration image is loaded into storage at the
population inversion to provide light amplification by
beginning of a work day, or after a system malfunction.
stimulated emission of radiation and (generally) an
(3) The process of loading system programs and
optical resonant cavity to provide positive feedback.
preparing a system to run jobs.
Laser radiation can be highly coherent temporally, or
input/output (I/O). (1) Pertaining to a device whose spatially, or both.
parts can perform an input process and an output
LCU. See Logical Control Unit.
process at the same time. (2) Pertaining to a functional
unit or channel involved in an input process, output LED. See light emitting diode.
process, or both, concurrently or not, and to the data
licensed internal code (LIC). Microcode that IBM
involved in such a process. (3) Pertaining to input,
does not sell as part of a machine, but instead,
output, or both.
licenses it to the customer. LIC is implemented in a
input/output configuration data set (IOCDS). The part of storage that is not addressable by user
data set in the S/390 and zSeries processor (in the programs. Some IBM products use it to implement
support element) that contains an I/O configuration functions as an alternate to hard-wire circuitry.
definition built by the input/output configuration
light-emitting diode (LED). A semiconductor chip that
program (IOCP).
gives off visible or infrared light when activated.
input/output configuration program (IOCP). A S/390 Contrast Laser.
program that defines to a system the channels, I/O
link. (1) In an ESCON environment or FICON
devices, paths to the I/O devices, and the addresses of
environment (fibre channel environment), the physical
the I/O devices.The output is normally written to a
connection and transmission medium used between
S/390 or zSeries IOCDS.
an optical transmitter and an optical receiver. A link
interface. (1) A shared boundary between two consists of two conductors, one used for sending and
functional units, defined by functional characteristics, the other for receiving, thereby providing a duplex
signal characteristics, or other characteristics as communication path. (2) In an ESCON I/O interface,
appropriate. The concept includes the specification of the physical connection and transmission medium
the connection of two devices having different used between a channel and a control unit, a channel
functions. (2) Hardware, software, or both, that links and an ESCD, a control unit and an ESCD, or, at
systems, programs, or devices. times, between two ESCDs. (3) In a FICON I/O
interface, the physical connection and transmission
I/O. See input/output.
medium used between a channel and a control unit, a
I/O configuration. The collection of channel paths, channel and a FICON Director, a control unit and a
control units, and I/O devices that attaches to the fibre channel FICON Director, or, at times, between
processor. This may also include channel switches (for two fibre channels switches.
example, an ESCON Director).
link address. (1) On an ESCON interface, the portion
IOCDS. See Input/Output configuration data set. of a source or destination address in a frame that
IOCP. See Input/Output configuration control program. ESCON uses to route a frame through an ESCON
director. ESCON associates the link address with a

274 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

specific switch port that is on the ESCON director. See N
also port address. (2) On a FICON interface, the port
address (1-byte link address), or domain and port National Committee for Information Technology
address (2-byte link address) portion of a source Standards. NCITS develops national standards and
(S_ID) or destination address (D_ID) in a fibre channel its technical experts participate on behalf of the United
frame that the fibre channel switch uses to route a States in the international standards activities of
frame through a fibre channel switch or fibre channel ISO/IEC JTC 1, information technology.
switch fabric. See also port address. NCITS. See National Committee for Information
local area network (LAN). A computer network Technology Standards.
located in a user’s premises within a limited ND. See node descriptor.
geographic area.
NED. See node-element descriptor.
logical control unit (LCU). A separately addressable
control unit function within a physical control unit. node descriptor. In an ESCON and FICON
Usually a physical control unit that supports several environment, a node descriptor (ND) is a 32-byte field
LCUs. For ESCON, the maximum number of LCUs that that describes a node, channel, ESCON Director port
can be in a control unit (and addressed from the same or a FICON Director port, or a control unit.
ESCON fiber link) is 16; they are addressed from x’0’ node-element descriptor. In an ESCON and FICON
to x’F’. For FICON architecture, the maximum number environment, a node-element descriptor (NED) is a
of LCUs that can be in a control unit (and addressed 32-byte field that describes a node element, such as a
from the same FICON fibre link) is 256; they are disk (DASD) device.
addressed from x’00’ to x’FF’. For both ESCON and
FICON, the actual number supported, and the LCU O
address value, is both processor- and control unit
OEMI. See original equipment manufacturers
implementation-dependent.
information.
logical partition (LPAR). A set of functions that create
open system. A system whose characteristics comply
a programming environment that is defined by the
with standards made available throughout the industry
ESA/390 architecture or zSeries z/Architecture.
and that therefore can be connected to other systems
ESA/390 architecture or zSeries z/Architecture uses
complying with the same standards.
this term (LPAR) when more than one logical partition
is established on a processor. An LPAR is conceptually optical cable. A fiber, multiple fibers, or a fiber bundle
similar to a virtual machine environment except that in a structure built to meet optical, mechanical, and
the LPAR is a function of the processor. Also, LPAR environmental specifications. See also jumper cable,
does not depend on an operating system to create the optical cable assembly, and trunk cable.
virtual machine environment.
optical cable assembly. An optical cable that is
logically partitioned (LPAR) mode. A central connector-terminated. Generally, an optical cable that
processor mode, available on the Configuration frame has been terminated by a manufacturer and is ready
when using the PR/SM facility, that allows an operator for installation. See also jumper cable and optical
to allocate processor hardware resources among cable.
logical partitions. Contrast with basic mode.
optical fiber. Any filament made of dialectic materials
logical switch number (LSN). A two-digit number that guides light, regardless of its ability to send
used by the I/O Configuration Program (IOCP) to signals. See also fiber optics and optical waveguide.
identify a specific ESCON or FICON Director. (This
optical fiber connector. A hardware component that
number is separate from the director’s “switch device
transfers optical power between two optical fibers or
number” and, for FICON, it is separate from the
bundles and is designed to be repeatedly connected
director’s “FC switch address”).
and disconnected.
LPAR. See logical partition.
optical waveguide. (1) A structure capable of guiding
M optical power. (2) In optical communications, generally
a fiber designed to transmit optical signals. See optical
megabyte (MB). (1) For processor storage, real and fiber.
virtual storage, and channel volume, 220 or 1 048 576
original equipment manufacturer information
bytes. (2) For disk storage capacity and
(OEMI). A reference to an IBM guideline for a
communications volumes, 1 000 000 bytes.
computer peripheral interface. More specifically, refer
multi-mode optical fiber. A graded-index or to IBM S/360 and S/370 Channel to Control Unit
step-index optical fiber that allows more than one Original Equipment Manufacturer Information. The
bound mode to propagate. Contrast with single-mode interfaces uses ESA/390 logical protocols over an I/O
optical fiber. interface that configures attached units in a multi-drop

275
bus environment. This OEMI interface is also prohibited. In an ESCON or FICON Director, the
supported by the zSeries 900 processors. attribute that, when set, removes dynamic connectivity
capability. Contrast with allowed.
P
protocol. (1) A set of semantic and syntactic rules that
parallel channel. A channel having a System/360 and determines the behavior of functional units in
System/370 channel-to-control-unit I/O interface that achieving communication. (2) In fibre channel, the
uses bus and tag cables as a transmission medium. meanings of and the sequencing rules for requests
Contrast with ESCON channel. and responses used for managing the switch or switch
path. In a channel or communication network, any fabric, transferring data, and synchronizing the states
route between any two nodes. For ESCON and FICON of fibre channel fabric components. (3) A specification
this would be the route between the channel and the for the format and relative timing of information
control unit/device, or sometimes from the operating exchanged between communicating parties.
system control block for the device and the device PTF. See program temporary fix.
itself.
R
path group. The ESA/390 and zSeries architecture
(z/Architecture) term for a set of channel paths that are route. The path that an ESCON frame takes from a
defined to a controller as being associated with a channel through an ESCD to a control unit/device.
single S/390 image. The channel paths are in a group
state and are on-line to the host. S
path-group identifier. The ESA/390 and zSeries saved configuration. In an ESCON or FICON
architecture (z/Architecture) term for the identifier that Director environment, a stored set of connectivity
uniquely identifies a given LPAR. The path-group attributes whose values determine a configuration that
identifier is used in communication between the can be used to replace all or part of the ESCD's or
system image program and a device. The identifier FICON’s active configuration. Contrast with active
associates the path-group with one or more channel configuration.
paths, thereby defining these paths to the control unit service element (SE). A dedicated service processing
as being associated with the same system image. unit used to service a S/390 machine (processor).
PCICC. (IBM’s) PCI Cryptographic Coprocessor. Small Computer System Interface (SCSI). (1) An
port. (1) An access point for data entry or exit. (2) A ANSI standard for a logical interface to computer
receptacle on a device to which a cable for another peripherals and for a computer peripheral interface.
device is attached. (3) See also duplex receptacle. The interface uses an SCSI logical protocol over an
I/O interface that configures attached targets and
port address. (1) In an ESCON Director, an address
initiators in a multi-drop bus topology. (2) A standard
used to specify port connectivity parameters and to
hardware interface that enables a variety of peripheral
assign link addresses for attached channels and
devices to communicate with one another.
control units. See also link address. (2) In a FICON
director or Fibre Channel switch, it is the middle 8 bits subchannel. A logical function of a channel
of the full 24-bit FC port address. This field is also subsystem associated with the management of a
referred to as the “area field” in the 24-bit FC port single device.
address. See also link address. subsystem. (1) A secondary or subordinate system,
port card. In an ESCON and FICON environment, a or programming support, usually capable of operating
field-replaceable hardware component that provides independently of or asynchronously with a controlling
the optomechanical attachment method for jumper system.
cables and performs specific device-dependent logic SWCH. In ESCON Manager, the mnemonic used to
functions. represent an ESCON Director.
port name. In an ESCON or FICON Director, a switch. In ESCON Manager, synonym for ESCON
user-defined symbolic name of 24 characters or less Director.
that identifies a particular port.
processor complex. A system configuration that T
consists of all the machines required for operation; for trunk cable. In an ESCON and FICON environment, a
example, a processor unit, a processor controller, a cable consisting of multiple fiber pairs that do not
system display, a service support display, and a power directly attach to an active device. This cable usually
and coolant distribution unit. exists between distribution panels (or sometimes
program temporary fix (PTF). A temporary solution between a set processor channels and a distribution
or bypass of a problem diagnosed by IBM in a current panel) and can be located within, or external to, a
unaltered release of a program. building. Contrast with jumper cable.

276 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

U
unblocked. In an ESCON and FICON Director, the
attribute that, when set, establishes communication
capability for a specific port. Contrast with blocked.
unit address. The ESA/390 and zSeries term for the
address associated with a device on a given controller.
On ESCON and FICON interfaces, the unit address is
the same as the device address. On OEMI interfaces,
the unit address specifies a controller and device pair
on the interface.

Z
z/Architecture. An IBM architecture for mainframe
computers and peripherals. Processors that follow this
architecture include the zSeries family of processors.
zSeries. A family of IBM mainframe servers that
support high performance, availability, connectivity,
security and integrity.

277
278 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
Index
OW43132 51, 173
Numerics OW43574 115, 186
2029 142, 144, 145, 146, 160 OW44188 53
2032 52, 57, 64 OW44362 118
definition 180 OW46633 52
2042 49 OW47972 53
2105 5 OW48434 53
24-bit N_Port address 11 OW49278 53
3170 architecture
definition 186 FC-4 3
device 118 FC-FS 3, 9, 17
distance 119 FC-PI 9, 17
feature codes 119 FC-SB-2 2, 9, 17
FICON adapter 118 FC-SW 17
FICON microcode 190 website 20
FICON support 117 z/Architecture 9, 17
logical paths 118 area 28
PSF 118 ASM 50
3590-A60 189 attached node information 230
50 micron 9 attenuation 157
50.0 micron 42 Auxiliary Storage Manager (ASM) 190
62.5 micron 9, 42, 156
9 micron 9, 42
9032 58, 64, 65
B
backplane 72, 93
9032-5 2, 8
bandwidth 42, 43, 142
9672 G5
bandwidth capacity 42
channel problem determination panels 229
benefits 43
concurrent I/O connectivity 43
buffer credits 5, 13, 14, 15, 25, 39, 40, 142, 144
FICON channels 41
buffer-to-buffer credit 25
FICON native attachment 189
bus utilization 54, 227
IOCP 53, 167
9672 G6
channel problem determination panels 229 C
concurrent I/O connectivity 44 cables
FICON attachment 189 multi-mode 9
FICON channels 41 single-mode 9
IOCP 53, 167 cabling 153
standard sizes 166
cabling options 156
A cascade switching 7, 11
A frame 47
cascaded switches 12
Access Methods 49
cascading switches 126
addressability 43
CCW and Data pipelining 36
addressing 45
CCW interlock 39
AFP1 187
CCW pipelining 5, 38, 39, 133, 139
AL 28
Central Memory Module (CMM) 58
Analyse Channel Information panel 229
channel adapter 148
Analyse Device Status panel 229
channel cards 47
Analyse Serial Link Status panel 229
channel constraint 43
Analyze Control Unit Header panel 229
channel device addressing 5, 45
Analyze Paths to a Device panel 229
channel intermix 140
Analyze Subchannel Data panel 229
channel link utilization 225
APAR
channel path 155
IR39712 52
Channel Path Activity report 54
IR42956 52
channel utilization 225
OW34073 185
CHPID numbers 46
OW40040 53
CHPID Report 147, 168
OW43131 51, 173
circuit-switching 5

© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 279

CMB 228 E
combo card 62 EC F25105 189
command EC F99907 189
D M=CHP 241 EC F99918 53
D M=CHP(cc) 242 EC H25117 52
D M=DEV(dddd) 244 EC level 52
DEVSERV PATHS 244 EN/TR 47
Display CHPID 246 end-to-end distance 5
Display Device 246 Enterprise Fabric Connectivity (EFC) Server 59
Display Switch 245 Enterprise Fibre Channel Director 57, 64
Display Units 243 equivalent channels 42
DS P,dddd 244 ESCON
communication interlock 5 channel intermix 141
concurrent connections 4, 8 channels 4
concurrent I/O connectivity 4, 42 control unit
connect time 40 access by FICON chanel 2
connectionless communication 39 CU configuration 127
connectivity 43 Director
Control Processor (CTP) 58 9032-5 2
control unit image 10, 179 circuit switching 5
control unit port (CUP) 62, 72, 180 FICON Bridge adapter 2
control unit port(CUP) 9 ESS 151
cooling fan 58 LCU connectivity 137
CTC 152 remote site configuration 146
ESCON and FICON channel equivalence 42
D ESCON channels
D M=CHP command 241 comparisons 224
D M=CHP(cc) command 242 opeartion 225
D M=DEV(dddd) command 244 operation 225
data droop 45 ESCON Director 57
data droop effect 5, 141, 142, 144, 146 ESCON Director Device Support Code 50
data pipelining 5 ESS 50, 150
data rate performance droop 45 ESS 2105 136
destination port address identifier (D_ID) 25 exploitation 5
destination port busy 40 ESS ESCON 151
device active only time 249 Establish Logical Path (ELP) 14
device addresses 139 Ethernet LAN 59, 66
device-active-only time 228 EXCP 50
DEVSERV PATHS command 244 Extended Credit and Addressing Facility (XCAF) 92
DFSMS 50 Extended Link Services 27
DFSMS DSS 50 Extended Link Services (ELSs) 9
DIB data field 35
DIB header 35 F
discovery method 25 F_Port 9, 13, 25, 125, 144
Display CHPID command 246 fabric 12, 14, 24, 25
Display Device command 246 fabric latency 96
Display Switch command 245 Fabric Login 24, 25, 28, 29
Display Units command 243 fabric login 14, 24
distance 4, 43, 45, 141, 155 fabric login (FLOGI) 9, 15, 23
3170 119 fabric Name Server 25
domain 11, 28 Fabric Support 28
driver 26 53, 189 fan 61, 93
driver 36 52 FC frame 40
driver 38 52, 189 FC link utilization 5
droop 45 FC Switch 36
DS P,dddd command 244 FC switch 21
duplex mode 156 FC-0 21
dynamic I/O configuration 140 FC-1
level 19

280 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

FC-2 FICON (FCV mode)
level 19 channel intermix 141
FC-2 frame 33, 34 configuration design 130
FC-2 layer 33 connectivity differences 136
FC-3 connectivity recommendations 147
level 19 design awareness 133, 135
FC-4 21 ESS 151
architecture 3 LCU connectivity 137, 139
FC-4 layer 33, 34 FICON Bridge (FCV)
FC-FCP 19 channel 4
FC-FG concurrent I/O operations 42
architecture 20 connectivity 8
FC-FS mode of operation 2
architecture 3, 17, 19 RMF reporting 54
Extended Link Services (ELSs) 9 software support 49
FC-PH 20, 21, 28 FICON Bridge (FCV) channel 130
amendments 19 FICON Bridge card 8
architecture 19 FICON channels
FC-PI benefits 226
architecture 17, 19 comparisons 224
physical interface architecture 9 operation 225, 226
FC-SB-2 34, 36 FICON Director
architecture 2, 9, 17 Activity report 54, 181
logical path 12 definition 8
FC-SB2 20 FICON Management Server Feature 50
FC-SB-2 Frame 35 FICON native
FC-SB-2 frame 35 benefit 141
FC-SB-2 protocol 33, 36 benefits 4, 38, 43, 136, 146
FC-SW 20 channel 4
architecture 17, 20 channel adapter cards 45
FDDI 46, 47 configuration
feature code cascaded switches 12
0103 119 FC fabric 12
0106 119 point-to-point 9, 12, 124
2022 45 switched point-to-point 12, 125, 131
2023 45 switched point-to-point configuration 10
5010 62 control unit 2
5011 62 mode of operation 2
5012 62 point-to-point 2
6010 72 processor support 41
6011 72 switched point-to-point 2
6012 72 topology 7
fiber cabling 42, 153 FICON software support 49
fiber extender 13, 142, 144, 153, 160 Figure 3
Fiber Saver 142, 144, 145 Finisar Fibre Channel GTX System Protocol analyzer trace
Fiber Saver (2029) 160 231
Fibre Channel Finisar repeater 161
cables 9 FIO cards 92
framing and signalling 19 FLOGI 9, 14, 24, 125
link 9, 15, 155 FLOGI - ACC 10
standard 5, 9 FOSA 13, 14, 41, 155
switch 2, 5, 8 FOSA (fiber optic subassembly) 153
Fibre Channel architecture 33 frame
Fibre Channel Standard architecture 17, 36 A 47
FICON I/O 47
configuration support 121 Z 47
CU characteristics 131, 135 frame contents 179
intermixed channels 166 frame multiplexing 5, 36, 40, 42, 126, 133, 139
performance paradigms 223 frame packet-switching 5
switch 8 frame processing 36

281
G IOS 50
Geographically Dispersed Parallel Sysplex (GDPS) 146 IPI 19
Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC) 92 IPL 50
Gigabit Interface Converters (GBIC) 67 ISV software 190
GTF 50 IU header 35
GTF trace 247 IU pacing 5, 14, 39
GTX-Trace viewer 232 IYPIOCP 52, 167
IZPIOCP 53, 167
CHPID macroinstruction
H defining FICON channel 167
Hardware Management Console (HMC) 52, 229 PATH keyword 168
HCD 29, 50 SWITCH keyword 168
HCM SWITCH= keyword 167
conversion utilities 52 TYPE keyword 167, 168
FICON native (FC) support 51 publication 53, 173
software support 50 support for FICON channels 172
HIPPI 19

J
I JES2 50
I/O cage JES3 50
new 45 jumper cable 59
old 45
I/O concurrency 149
I/O connectivity 3 L
I/O frame 47 link address 179
I/O queue time 39 link bandwidth 5
I/O slot 46 ESCON 41
I/O slots 43 FICON 41
I/O supervisor (IOS) 30 link budget (db) loss 156
I/O types 47 link budget loss 157, 158
I/O-Ops 53, 244 link distance 4
ICKDSF 50, 54, 249 link initialization 23
IEBCOPY 50, 54 link loss budget 157
IEWFETCH 50, 54 link pacing 5
IMS 50 link utilization 40, 225
Information Unit 35 LIRR 23, 27
Information Unit (IU) multiplexing 5, 42 logical control unit 10, 14, 16, 126, 128, 133
Inrange logical path 11, 14, 16
40U cabinet 91 logical switch number 168
Audit Log 233 long wavelength 42, 45
control Unit port (CUP) 96 Long wavelength laser 153
documentation 97 long wavelength laser 9, 41
Enterprise Manager 91 longwave laser 62
Event Log 234
FC/9000 180 M
FC/9000-128 91 management server 24
FC/9000-64 91 McDATA
FC/9000-64/128 189 Audit Log 236
high availability configuration 95 control unit port (CUP) 62
IN-VSN Enterprise Manager 97 documentation 73
interlock hand-shaking 5 ED-5000 180, 189
intermixing 140 ED-6064 64, 189
IOCP 29, 50 Enterprise Fabric Connectivity (EFC) Manager 73
9672 G5 167 Event Log 236
9672 G6 167 FC-512 cabinet 57, 64
IYPIOCP 52, 167 feature codes 62, 72
IZPIOCP 53, 167 Hardware Log 236
standalone 9672 G5/G6 53 high-availability configuration 72
zSeries 900 167 Link Incident Log 236
zSeries standalone 52

282 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

 operator panel 62 PCI synchronization control 247
port address mapping 60, 69 pipelining 5, 9, 54, 190, 209
port card 59 PLOGI 9, 14, 15, 26
McData ED-5000 57 point-to-point 2, 7, 12
MCP 45 port address 11, 61
MCP cables 162 port busy 226
construction 162 port login (PLOGI) 14
invalid use 165 port number 61, 230
patch panels 164 power supply 58, 61, 65, 70, 93
Message Path Controller (MPC) 58 prefetch control 247
migration 189 prefetching 5, 9, 190, 209
Mode Conditioner Patch 153 printer 117
mode conditioner patch (MCP) 42 Printer, FICON attacjment 186
Mode Conditioner Patch (MCP) cables 156 priority I/O queuing 5
Mode Conditioner Patch cable 119 problem determination 229
modification control 191 PSF 50, 118
multi-mode 13, 62 PSP bucket
multi-mode fiber 42 FICON 49
multiple allegiance 39 processor 49
multiplexing 5 PSF 118
System Automation I/O-Ops 53

N
N_Port 13, 20, 24, 25 , 125, 144 R
address 11 RACF 50
FICON port 9 RDS Channel Extender 50
internal 9 read bandwidth 54, 227
login (PLOGI) 9, 15 read-to-write synchronization 211
port-address 21 read-to-write transition synchronization control 247
N_Port Login 26 read-write transition synchronization 190
N_Port login 26 read-write transition synchronization control 54
National Committee for Information Technology Standards receive signal lens 165
(NCITS) 18 receiver 156
NIP 50 receivers 19
NOOP 190 remote site 144
remotes sites 141
repeater 142
O RFI shield 70
OAM 50 RIND 27
OCI adapter 160 RJ-45 twisted pair connector 59
Open Fibre Switch (FCS) 52 RMF 50, 227
Operations Request Block (ORB) 30, 54, 210 bus utilization 54
optical extender 155 Channel Path Activity report 54
optical link 13, 15, 142, 155 FICON Director Activity report 54, 181
ORBM 54, 206, 247 read bandwidth 54
ORBP 54, 206, 247 software support 54
ORBY 54, 206, 247 write bandwidth 54
OSA-2 46, 47 RNID 23
overrun 5, 26 RPQ 47

P S
packet-switching 5 S/A I/O-Ops 53
Parallel Access Volumes (PAV) 5, 133, 136 , 139 safe switching 182
Parallel channel 47 SB-2 21
parallel channel cards 47 SB-2 header 35
parallel channels 46 SBAR assembly 71
comparisons 224 SBCON 20
patch panel 156 SC-duplex connector 156
PAV 39 SCR 23, 27
PCI synchronization 54, 191, 214 SCSI 19

283
self-modifying channel programs 190, 209 vendor-written 49, 191
service parameters 15, 25, 26, 27 ULPs 18
short wavelength 45
Short wavelength laser 153
short wavelength laser 9, 41 V
shortwave laser 62 vendor-written UIM 191
signaling protocol 19 vendor-written UIMs 49
single-mode 13, 62, 144 VM/ESA 54
single-mode fiber 42 VSE/ESA 55
SMF 228
SNMP 77 W
SNMP management station 59, 66 wavelength
source port address identifier (S_ID) 25 short 9
SRM 50 well known port addresses 23
Standalone Dump 190 World Wide Name (WWN) 25
standalone dump 50 Worldwide name (WWN) 230
standalone IOCP write bandwidth 54, 227
zSeries 52
standalone IOCP 9672 G5/G6 53
STI 148 X
STI connection 148 XDF 143
subchannel number 179 XRC 50
subsystem identification word (SID) 30
Support Element (SE) 52
SWCH 181
Z
Z frame 47
switch
z/VM 54
address 170
zoning 62, 72
device number 169
zSeries 45, 226
dynamic switch 168
zSeries 900
entry switch 168
channel problem determination panels 229
logical switch number 168
FICON attachment 189
number 168
FICON channels 41
SWITCH keyword on CHPID macroinstruction 168
IOCP 167
switched fabric 7
switched point-to-point 2, 7, 12
Synchronize Send Status (SSS) 191
sysplex timer 146
System Assist Processor (SAP) 226
System Automation for OS/390 181
System Automation for OS/390 I/O-Ops 53
Systems Automation for OS/390 244

T
tag field 230
tape 152
Task roadmap 1
terminology 7
topology 7
TR/EN 46
transmission media 19
transmission protocol 19
transmission types 9
transmitter 156
transmitters 19

U
UIM 150
CBDUS002 185
CBDUS005 186

284 FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide

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© Copyright IBM Corp. 2001 285

FICON Native Implementation and Reference Guide
(0.5” spine)
0.475”<->0.873”
 ®

FICON Native
Implementation and
Reference Guide
Architecture, This IBM Redbook covers the planning and implementation of
FICON channels, operating in FICON native (FC) mode for the IBM
INTERNATIONAL
terminology, and
zSeries 900 and 9672 Generation 5 (G5) and Generation 6 (G6) TECHNICAL
topology concepts
processors. It discusses the FICON and Fibre Channel SUPPORT
Planning, architectures, terminology, and supported topologies. ORGANIZATION
implementation, and This book provides information about the available FICON native
products, system and I/O device setup, availability and recovery
migration guidance
considerations, and migration recommendations. It focuses on
installing the new FICON Directors and FICON native control units
Realistic examples BUILDING TECHNICAL
in both a new and existing ESCON and FICON channel environment. INFORMATION BASED ON
and scenarios Helpful information for monitoring and managing a FICON native PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
(FC) environment is also included.
In this document you will find examples of the z/OS and OS/390 IBM Redbooks are developed
definitions required to support FICON native control units and by the IBM International
FICON Directors, as well as migration scenarios for control units Technical Support
using ESCON (CNC) channels or FICON Bridge (FCV) mode channels Organization. Experts from
IBM, Customers and Partners
to FICON native (FC) mode channels. from around the world create
This redbook is intended for system programmers, hardware timely technical information
planners, and system engineers who will plan and install FICON based on realistic scenarios.
native (FC) products in a zSeries 900 and 9672 Generation 5 (G5) Specific recommendations
and Generation 6 (G6) environment. A good background in systems are provided to help you
implement IT solutions more
planning, hardware and cabling infrastructure planning, and I/O effectively in your
definitions (HCD or IOCP) is assumed. environment.

For more information:

ibm.com/redbooks

SG24-6266-00 ISBN 0738422630