"Blade" is just a colloqiual term to mean "card in a slot in a chassis". I'm not sure of the source of the term, but it's been in common use since I first worked with chassis-based Ethernet switches back in the late 90's.
Typically, "blades" were cards with things like Ethernet, fibre channel, or other types of ports on them. "Blade" servers are server computers designed in a form factor to "slot" into a chassis much like network switch "blades".
In the case of your Cisco fiber channel switch, the "blade #" is just referring to the slot number (which, typically, is silk-screened on the chassis beside the slot).
"Blade" is just a colloqiual term to mean "card in a slot in a chassis". I'm not sure of the source of the term, but it's been in common use since I first worked with chassis-based Ethernet switches back in the late 90's.
Typically, "blades" were cards with things like Ethernet, fibre channel, or other types of ports on them. "Blade" servers are server computers designed in a form factor to "slot" into a chassis much like network switch "blades".
In the case of your Cisco fiber channel switch, the "blade #" is just referring to the slot number (which, typically, is silk-screened on the chassis beside the slot).