FICON (Fibre Connection)
An I/O technology developed by IBM to connect mainframes to storage devices, at higher speeds and greater distances than the earlier Enterprise Systems Connection (ESCON).
FICON supports full-duplex data transfers -- meaning data can be read and written over the same link at the same time - while ESCON was just half-duplex. FICON uses a mapping layer that is based on technology developed for Fibre Channel. Because it uses Fibre Channel's multiplexing capabilities, small data transfers are multiplexed on the link alongside larger transfers. This way, larger transfers won't hold up those transactions. It can support connections of up to 20 km.
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Topic: Storage
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