platform WWN – unique world-wide identifier for a computer system, used to tie together in software the association between many components within that system node WWN – unique world-wide identifier used to associate many port world wide names within a system. This is used currently in two ways: first, to specify the relationship between ports on a common device (one node WWN and several port WWNs on a HBA), secondly to identify ports on a system (one node WWN and many port WWNs on a system with many HBAs). Unfortunately the use of this is not consistent within currently deployed hardware.