On Sat, 05 Jun 2004 19:45:55 GMT, R. Damian Koziel
wrote:

This is a very simple question but one for which I'm finding
conflicting answers. What is the (theoretical) maximum number of
devices on a FC-AL?

There is a very simple answer!

The theoretical maximum number of devices on a loop is 127.

There are a total of 128 addresses in the Arbitrated Loop Physical
Address range, as it's a single byte address.

The reason that two addresses seem to go missing in some of your
examples is because they are generally reserved for specific
functions.

The first address (effectively x00) is for connection of the loop to a
Fabric (an FL_Port). If this is not being used for a Fabric
connection, it can be used by a device (as an NL_Port). Generally
you'll find that most people quote 126 possible devices, but in
reality it's 126 + 1 FL/NL_Port, making a maximum of 127.

The last address (xFF) is a broadcast address and cannot be
reassigned.

Hope this helps.

HVB.