Fiber Channel

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What Does Fiber Channel Mean?

A fiber channel (FC) is a computer networking technology that is used to transfer data between one or more computers at very high speeds. It was initially designed for supercomputers but is now commonly implemented in storage networking server environments as a replacement to small computer system interface (SCSI) and other serial storage technologies.

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Techopedia Explains Fiber Channel

FC is used in a server environment to transfer bulk data between interconnected storage servers or clusters at very high data transfer rates (DTR). It can transfer data in excess of 1 Gbps and reach speed up to 4 Gbps.

FC-based data transfer is usually achieved by using a FC port on a computer or server and a FC-specific switch, which is known as the fabric. The port and switch can be connected using standard coaxial cables or through fiber optic cables.

The signals transmitted from a FC port can be propagated to substantial distances, reaching several kilometers in length with high-speed mediums.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.