https://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/FICON
http://www.ikepu.com/baike/baike_daquan/137278.html
FICON (for Fiber Connectivity) is a high-speed input/output (I/O) interface for mainframe computer connections to storage devices. As part of IBM's S/390 server, FICON channels increase I/O capacity through the combination of a new architecture and faster physical link rates to make them up to eight times as efficient as ESCON (Enterprise System Connection), IBM's previous fiber optic channel standard.
1998年和G5服务器一起推出的IBM大型主机通道。它以光纤通道标准为基础，将ESCON的半双工17MB/s传输率提高到了全双工100MB/s。每条FICON通道最高可以支持每秒4000次I/O操作，相当于8条ESCON通道。在距离达到20千米的情况下有100Mbps的双向线路速度，而相对应的在距离达到3千米的情况下ESCON通道只有3Mbps的速度。
ESCON (Enterprise Systems Connection) is a marketing name for a set of IBM and vendor products that interconnect...
FICON channel features include:
- A mapping layer based on the ANSI standard Fibre Channel-Physical and Signaling Interface (FC-PH), which specifies the signal, cabling, and transmission speeds
- 100 Mbps bi-directional link rates at distances of up to twenty kilometers, compared to the 3Mbps rate of ESCON channels at distances of up to three kilometers.
- More flexibility in terms of network layout, because of the greater distances
- Compatibility with any installed channel types on any S/390 G5 server
- Bridge feature, which enables support of existing ESCON control units
- Requires only one channel address
- Support for full-duplex data transfers, which enables simultaneous reading and writing of data over a single link
- Multiplexing, which enables small data transfers to be transmitted with larger ones, rather than having to wait until the larger transaction is finished
基于ANSI标准光纤通道-物理和信令接口（FC-PH）的映射层，用于指定信号，电缆和传输速度。
长达20公里的距离为100 Mbps双向链接速率，而长达3公里的ESCON通道为3 Mbps速率
在网络规划时期有更大的弹性，因为它能用于更远的距离。
与在任何S/390G5服务器上的任何设备通道类型都有兼容性。
桥梁作用，它能支持现有的ESCON控制单位。
只要求一个通道地址。
支持同时双向的数据传输，它能同时在一条线上进行数据的读取和写入。
多路技术，它使少量数据能与另一些大量数据一起被传输，而不必等那些大量数据被传输完。