4.1. The Need for Fibre Channel
In general, Fibre Channel is an attempt to combine the best of both worlds: channels and networks. Channel is a term that was first used in the mainframe world and denotes a structured, defined mechanism for accomplishing data transfer. In most cases the data transfer is between a computer system and a peripheral, such as a disk or tape unit. Well-known examples of channels include SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) and HIPPI (High-Performance Parallel Interface). Channels are typically implemented mostly in hardware.
Compared to a channel, a network is a much more general-purpose mechanism for accomplishing data transfer, and it is much less structured. A network can also typically operate over a much longer ...
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