User guide

User Guide NetXtreme II
September 2013
Broadcom Corporation
Document INGSRVT78-CDUM100-RUsing Data Center Bridging (DCB): Broadcom NetXtreme II
®
Network Adapter User Guide Page
Using Data Center Bridging (DCB): Broadcom
NetXtreme II
®
Network Adapter User Guide
•Overview
• DCB Capabilities
• Configuring DCB
• DCB Conditions
• Data Center Bridging in Windows Server 2012
OVERVIEW
Data Center Bridging (DCB) is a collection of IEEE specified standard extensions to Ethernet to provide lossless data
delivery, low latency, and standards-based bandwidth sharing of data center physical links. DCB supports storage,
management, computing, and communications fabrics onto a single physical fabric that is simpler to deploy, upgrade, and
maintain than in standard Ethernet networks. DCB has a standards-based bandwidth sharing at its core, allowing multiple
fabrics to coexist on the same physical fabric. The various capabilities of DCB allow for LAN traffic (large number of flows
and not latency-sensitive), SAN traffic (large packet sizes and requires lossless performance), and IPC (latency-sensitive
messages) to bandwidth share the same physical converged connection and achieve the desired individual traffic
performance.
DCB includes the following capabilities:
• Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS)
• Priority-based Flow Control (PFC)
• Data Center Bridging Capability eXchange Protocol (DCBX)