Unified Networking on 10GbE_Intel and NetApp

Unied Networking for 10 Gigabit Ethernet
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vendor supply chain that is designed for
heterogeneous interoperability, ultimately
resulting in greater choice and lower
equipment costs.
e Open FCoE approach oers a number
of advantages in terms of accessibility and
ease of use.
Accessibility. e Open FCoE approach
makes FC SAN access available to any
server with a standard, compatible 10GbE
adapter installed. Rather than having to
purchase proprietary hardware, IT can
continue using its current Ethernet adapters
to gain this additional functionality.
With FCoE support integrated into the
OS, IT can select compatible Ethernet
adapters from multiple vendors, helping to
avoid vendor lock-in. With Open FCoE,
FC SAN access will become universal
once 10GbE LOM technology becomes
pervasive.
Ease of use. Because the Open FCoE
approach uses standard 10GbE adapters,
IT can leverage existing knowledge to
congure and manage these adapters
for FCoE deployments. In fact, IT can
standardize on a single product or product
family for all LAN and SAN connectivity.
FCoE initiator integration into the OS also
means common OS-based tool support
across a product family or even adapters
from multiple vendors. Using CNAs
requires learning new tools and installing
additional, proprietary software. Use of
CNAs may also require using dierent
products for LAN and SAN connectivity
because CNAs use the Ethernet fabric but
are optimized for storage functions.
Native Initiator Success: iSCSI
iSCSI provides an excellent example of
the success of native storage initiators
integrated into the OS.
In the early days of iSCSI, proponents
of iSCSI HBAs claimed that these
dedicated adapters were necessary to
deliver acceptable performance. Much
like CNAs, iSCSI HBAs ooad storage
protocol processing to a separate processor
on the adapter, rather than allowing the
host processor and OS to handle these
tasks. While early HBAs did oer some
benets in terms of throughput, they did
so at levels beyond what was needed in real
world performance. ey also suered from
many of the same issues as today’s CNAs,
including high costs, vendor lock-in,
reliability, and stability.
Today, all major server OSs include
native iSCSI support, delivering the same
benets as described above for Open
FCoE. e maturity of native iSCSI
initiators along with advanced adapter
and platform features now provides
enterprise-level performance with standard
Ethernet products. In fact, Intel recently
demonstrated a standard Intel® Ethernet
10 Gigabit Server Adapter driving 1.25
million IOPS (input/output operations per
second) using the native iSCSI initiator in
Windows Server* 2008 R2.
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IT departments standardizing on Intel®
Ethernet Server Adapters for iSCSI
connectivity are able to use a single
initiator, TCP/IP stack, and set of
management tools and IT policies. is
standardization can deliver easier server
provisioning, lower the likelihood of
human error, and simplify management
while reducing capital and operational
expenditures. As FCoE initiators are
integrated into OSs and 10GbE LOM
implementations grow, Intel expects
Open FCoE-based solutions to deliver
these same benets.
INTEL ETHERNET
UNIFIED NETWORKING
As discussed earlier, Ethernet-based
storage has been growing at a faster rate
than traditional FC networks, particularly
because Ethernet is a trusted, widely
deployed, and well-understood technology.
Ethernet is the foundation of unied
networking, and with over 25 years of
experience delivering quality Ethernet
products, Intel is uniquely positioned to
drive the transition to 10GbE unied
networking
Reliability
Intel is the volume leader in Ethernet
adapter shipments and has led the
industry through speed transitions and
enhancements to the Ethernet standard,
including iSCSI, DCB, and FCoE. Intel
Ethernet products have the broadest
operating system support in the industry,
and Intel’s long-term product roadmaps
align future products with new server
platform capabilities and upcoming data
center trends, including cloud computing.
Intel has expanded the capabilities
of its trusted Ethernet product line
to incorporate FCoE for true unied
networking. By contrast, CNA vendors are
acquiring Ethernet technology and adding
it to their existing FC-centric products.
Cost-Effectiveness
Standardizing on Intel Ethernet 10 Gigabit
Server Adapters takes advantage of Ethernet
economics to deliver cost-eective broad-
based unied networking deployment. A
single Intel Ethernet 10 Gigabit Server
Adapter supports FCoE, iSCSI, NAS, and
LAN trac for true unied networking
without the need for additional, expensive
hardware or upgrades.