Data Center iSCSI: Building next generation storage networks

Data Center iSCSI – Building next generation storage networks

VirtualizedapplicationsoftenimposedifferentI/Oworkloadsthanmoretraditionalcomputestacks.

Thenewvirtualizedenvironmentrequiresadynamicnetworkinginfrastructurethatisflexibleandcost

effective,whileprovidinghighperformanceandavailability.

Alltoooftendebateshavecenteredonthemeritsofonetechnologyorprotocolcomparedtoanother.

TherealquestionsITprofessionalsshouldbeaskingrevolvearounddeliveringresults,easilyandcost

effectively:

• HowdoImanageportsandI/Oacrossservers?

• HowdoIdeployandmanageredundantI/O?

• CanImoveoraddLANandSANI/Owithoutreconfiguringservers?

• HowdoIconvergeconnectivitywhilepreservingqualityandsecurity?

• Willthesefeaturesworkequallywellinvirtualserver,networkandstorageenvironments?

Theanswertothesequestionswillhaveasignificantimpactonday‐to‐dayIToperations.

TheEnterpriseStorageNetwork

Whendatacenterarchitectsconsiderhowtoanswerthesequestions,itisapparentthatEthernetisthe

bestnetworktransportchoice.WithEthernetinplace,iSCSIisanaturalfitforapplicationsand

deploymentsthatrequireblockstorage.

NewserverorstoragedeploymentsaregoodcandidatesforiSCSI,inparticulardeploymentsthatutilize

virtualserversandscale‐outdesigns.ByleveragingtheEthernetportsembeddedinallservers,iSCSI

accessisubiquitous.

EvaluatorGroupComment:Largeorganizationslookingtoprovidewide‐scale

blockstorageaccessshouldstronglyconsideriSCSIduetoitsflexibility,andability

todramaticallylowerinfrastructurecosts.Smallerorganizationsshouldconsider

anEthernetSANinfrastructureandiSCS Iforallblockstoragerequirements.

InvestmentsinnewFibreChannelSAN’swillbecomeincreasinglyrare,inparticularforsmaller

organizationsandthosewithoutsignificantexistinginvestmentsinFCSANequipment.UnlikeFCoE,

whichrequiresanewenhancedversionofEthernetknownasDCBEthernet,iSCSIcanrunonexisting

EthernetnetworkswithoutrequiringDCBenhancements.ITadministratorshavetheoptionof

deployingiSCSIondedicatedlinksorconvergingtrafficonthesamephysicallinks.AsI/Oratesincrease,

10GbElinkscanbedeployed,alongwithDCBEthernettoguaranteeminimalbandwidthandavoid

retransmissionofdata.

TheemergenceofFCoEand10GbEthernetwillultimatelyhelptheadoptionofiSCSIbybreakingdown

thebarriersthathaveexistedinadoptingacommondatatransport.Bymovingallenterprisetraffic

ontoEthernet,allprotocolsincludingiSCSI,FCoEandNASwillbenefitfromasharedinfrastructure.

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