Introduction 15
Fibre Channel Switch Module
The Fibre Channel switch module provides a switched connection between 
the Fibre Channel daughter card in the server modules and a supported Fibre 
Channel device. The switch module functions as a director, mapping requests 
and responses between the interconnected devices. 
Additionally, the Fibre Channel switch module includes an internal serial port 
that communicates with the DRAC/MC module. 
The Fibre Channel switch module supports the following configurations:
• Network-attached configuration with up to two supported Dell|EMC 
storage systems
• Network-attached connection to an external storage area network (SAN) 
with up to four supported Dell|EMC storage systems
Fibre Channel Pass-Through Module
The Fibre Channel pass-through module provides a direct connection between 
the Fibre Channel daughter card in the server modules and a supported Fibre 
Channel device. The pass-through module functions as a dedicated link 
between the server modules and specific ports on the pass-through module. 
The pass-through module supports the following configurations:
• Direct-attached configuration to a supported Dell|EMC storage system 
• Network-attached connection to an external SAN with up to four 
supported Dell|EMC storage systems
Table 1-3 summarizes the supported Fibre Channel module configurations.
Table 1-3. Supported Fibre Channel Module Configurations
Fibre Channel Switch Module Fibre Channel Pass-through Module
Network-attached configuration to one or 
two supported Dell|EMC Fibre Channel 
storage systems using embedded Fibre 
Channel switch modules
Direct-attached configuration to a 
Dell|EMC Fibre Channel storage 
system
Network-attached configuration to an 
external SAN with up to four supported 
Dell|EMC Fibre Channel storage systems
Network-attached connection to an 
external SAN with up to four supported 
Dell|EMC Fibre Channel storage 
systems
book.book  Page 15  Monday, December 31, 2007  3:41 PM