SANbox FLS (Full Loop Support) describes a range of features that allows QLogic switch products to facilitate high-performance transactions among the broadest variety of new and legacy Fibre Channel devices in the industry.

SANbox FLS helps IT managers leverage past infrastructure investments by directly attaching their existing private loops and private loop devices to a fully scalable switched fabric. Fabric-attached private devices gain immediate performance, stability and fault management benefits along with high-speed access to more advanced public/fabric devices. No modification to the original private loop interface or device drivers is required.

SANbox products enable private-to-private transactions (like a hub) as well as full fabric/private bridging:

Private-to-private transactions

Because they allow private loops to be distributed over multiple ports, SANbox switches offer a cost-effective way to replace hub-based SANs with a more robust, scalable and high-performing infrastructure.

Unlike hubs, SANbox switches allow private loops to be divided into multiple high-performance loop segments (see illustration above). Each segment receives a full 100 MBps bandwidth without having to contend with devices on other segments. "Segmented" or "virtual" private loops may span some or all the ports on a single switch -- or be distributed over the ports of several switches in a multi-switch fabric.

Segmenting also enhances loop stability by confining LIPs and other potential interruptions to the local segment, enabling greater distance spans by maintaining higher signal integrity as devices are added.

Fabric/private bridging (Translative Mode)

SANbox FLS offers the most comprehensive fabric/private bridging available. All combinations of fabric/public/private communications are enabled, including

• Public initiator to or from a private target
• Private initiator to or from a public target
• Private initiator through fabric to or from a private target on a different loop (Segmented Loop as described above)

QLogic's built-in name server automatically registers all devices connected to the fabric and handles the address translation required for mixed public/private transactions.