Reference Guide

Data Center Bridging (DCB) | 277

Data Center Bridging (DCB)

Data center bridging (DCB) features are supported on the S5000 switch, including:

• Data center bridging exchange protocol (DCBx)

• Priority-based flow control (PFC)

• Enhanced transmission selection (ETS)

This chapter describes the following data center bridging topics:

• Ethernet Enhancements in Data Center Bridging

• Data Center Bridging: Default Configuration

• Enabling Data Center Bridging

• QoS dot1p Traffic Classification and Queue Assignment

• Configuring PFC and ETS in a DCB Map

• Configuring DCBx Operation

• Verifying DCB Configuration

• PFC and ETS Configuration Examples

Ethernet Enhancements in Data Center Bridging

Data center bridging refers to a set of IEEE Ethernet enhancements that provide data centers with a single,

robust, converged network to support multiple traffic types, including local area network (LAN), server,

and storage traffic. Through network consolidation, DCB results in reduced operational cost, simplified

management, and easy scalability by avoiding the need to deploy separate application-specific networks.

For example, instead of deploying an Ethernet network for LAN traffic, additional storage area networks

(SANs) to ensure lossless fiber-channel traffic, and a separate InfiniBand network for high-performance

inter-processor computing within server clusters, only one DCB-enabled network is required in a data

center. The Dell Networking switches that support a unified fabric and consolidate multiple network

infrastructures use a single input/output (I/O) device called a converged network adapter (CNA).

A CNA is a computer input/output device that combines the functionality of a host bus adapter (HBA) with

a network interface controller (NIC). You no longer require multiple adapters on different devices for

different traffic types.

Data center bridging satisfies the needs of the following types of data center traffic in a unified fabric: