IPFC stands for

Internet Protocol The Internet Protocol (IP) is the network layer communications protocol in the Internet protocol suite for relaying datagrams across network boundaries. Its routing function enables internetworking, and essentially establishes the Internet. IP ...

over

Fibre Channel Fibre Channel (FC) is a high-speed data transfer protocol providing in-order, lossless delivery of raw block data. Fibre Channel is primarily used to connect computer data storage to Server (computing), servers in storage area networks (SAN) in ...

. It governs a set of standards created in January 2006 for address resolution ( ARP) and transmitting

IPv4 Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is the first version of the Internet Protocol (IP) as a standalone specification. It is one of the core protocols of standards-based internetworking methods in the Internet and other packet-switched networks. ...

and

IPv6 Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol (IP), the communication protocol, communications protocol that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic ...

network packet In telecommunications and computer networking, a network packet is a formatted unit of Data (computing), data carried by a packet-switched network. A packet consists of control information and user data; the latter is also known as the ''Payload ...

s over a Fibre Channel (FC) network. IPFC makes up part of the FC-4 protocol-mapping layer of a Fibre Channel system. In IPFC, each IP datagram packet is wrapped into a FC frame, with its own header, and transmitted as a sequence of one or more frames. The receiver at the other end receives the frames, strips the FC headers and reassembles the IP packet. IP datagrams of up to 65,280 bytes in size may be accommodated. ARP packet transmission works in the same fashion. Each IP datagram exchange is unidirectional, although IP and TCP allow for bidirectional communication within their protocols. IPFC is an application protocol that is typically implemented as a

device driver In the context of an operating system, a device driver is a computer program that operates or controls a particular type of device that is attached to a computer or automaton. A driver provides a software interface to hardware devices, enabli ...

in an

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...

. IP over FC plays a less important role in

storage area network A storage area network (SAN) or storage network is a computer network which provides access to consolidated, block device, block-level data storage. SANs are primarily used to access Computer data storage, data storage devices, such as disk ...

ing than SCSI over Fibre Channel or IP over Ethernet. IPFC has been used, for example, to provide clock synchronization via the

Network Time Protocol The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a networking protocol for clock synchronization between computer systems over packet-switched, variable-Network latency, latency data networks. In operation since before 1985, NTP is one of the oldest Intern ...

(NTP).

References

External links

* RFC 4338 - Transmission of IPv6, IPv4, and Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) Packets over Fibre Channel * RFC 5494 - An update of RFC 4338 specifying IANA guidelines for ARP * RFC 2625, RFC 3831 were older versions of IPFC obsoleted by RFC 4338 Internet protocols Fibre Channel {{Internet-stub

See also

References

External links