FICON

FICON is the abbreviation for Fibre Connection.

FICON was developed by IBM and is now standardized by ANSI as FC -SB -3 single-byte Command Code Sets- 3 Mapping Protocol for Fibre Channel (FC). It involves a host channel system for the connection of disk arrays, tape drives, and printers ( peripheral) to mainframe computers. By the FICON ESCON protocol is mapped to Fibre Channel in the FC -4 layer. Thus, the (compared to ESCON ) higher data rates of Fibre Channel for mainframe computers are available. Furthermore, it has become possible through FICON Storage Area Networks build on the base of Fibre Channel in which mainframe and UNIX / Windows servers share the resources. The data transfer rate of FICON is 2-8 Gb / s per FICON channel. Large mainframe systems have over 300 FICON channels.

Only very few manufacturers of IT peripherals such as disk arrays, tape systems and printers have developed the FICON connectivity options for your products. Because of the relatively small number of mainframe customers, this development does not pay for many providers. Therefore, there are only few manufacturers in addition to IBM, whose products can be connected via FICON for mainframe computers. FICON adapter cards are available but in the meantime, from different manufacturers, so that also for mainframe customers to connect alternatives in future improve FICON.

Systems with FICON port

Selection of disk-based storage systems that can be addressed via FICON:

  • EMC V -MAX
  • EMC DMX
  • EMC Symmetrix
  • Hewlett Packard XP24000/XP20000 Disk Array
  • Hitachi Data Systems Lightning
  • Hitachi Data Systems Universal Storage Platform
  • Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform
  • IBM System Storage - IBM Enterprise Storage Server (Shark )
  • IBM System Storage DS6000
  • IBM System Storage DS8000
  • Sun StorageTek V2X4f
  • IBM Virtual Tape Server (VTS )
  • IBM Tape Library UltraScalable
  • Sun StorageTek Virtual Storage Manager (VSM )
  • Bus-Tech MAS and MDL Virtual Tape Library
  • Cisco MDS 9000 Series

View more manufacturers the devices with FICON interface are Brocade, Optica Technologies and Luminex and others. InfoPrint Solutions Company provides for its high- pressure systems also connectivity with FICON.

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