Search Results

Results tagged "DCB"

Total Search Results : 14

Will SDN Kill TRILL?

February 26, 2013 10:53 AM

Layer 2 multipathing standards such as TRILL and SPB may seem redundant in an SDN world. But these standards still have a role to play while we wait to see how the SDN market matures.

Brocade and Dell Enhance iSCSI Storage

January 25, 2011 07:00 AM

Since the introduction of iSCSI storage in 2004, the population of 1Gbit iSCSI storage arrays has grown to comprise almost a third of all disk arrays shipped each year. Connecting servers to all those 1Gbit iSCSI SANs requires only a generic port on a server LAN-on-motherboard (LOM) chip, or 1Gbit Ethernet NIC. No special Ethernet hardware or software is needed because IP networks don't discriminate between NAS/SAN storage traffic and LAN traffic. That's because the iSCSI protocol is transparently encapsulated into Ethernet packets, and only basic iSCSI-related network services exist.

3G C-NICs Address Mass Migration To 10GbE

July 13, 2010 11:00 AM

The long awaited mass migration from 1GbE to 10GbE technology is underway as IT organizations extend 10GbE outwards from the core of the data center to the edge. That translates to a need for a new generation of NICs that can deliver 10GbE performance today and converged network connectivity tomorrow. The days of application-specific servers are waning as dense compute nodes become the norm. New server deployments typically include multi-processor, multi-core servers heavily loaded with guest operating systems, virtual machines and business applications. The result is an aggregation of server I/O that has data center managers convinced they need fat 10GbE network pipes on their servers. According to a recent IT Brand Pulse end-user survey, 52 percent of the respondents cited performance as the primary issue with their 1GbE networks.

Cisco's FabricPath: Multi-Path For Those Who Can't Wait For Standards

July 01, 2010 09:00 AM

Cisco made a few announcements at CiscoLive that extends thier footprint in the data center and offers Cisco customers migration paths to 10Gb Ethernet. The biggest announcement is Cisco's pre-standard multi-path Ethernet protocol called FabricPath that makes better use of switched infrastructure. Cisco is pretty far ahead of other networking vendors and most data centers with FabricPath, but for early adopters, Cisco and their customers will get some first hand experience with multi-path Ethernet. FabricPath is another step along Cisco path to virtualzing the data center network.

Adaptec: R.I.P.

June 14, 2010 11:11 PM

On June 9, Adaptec Inc. announced it's changing its name to ADPT Corp. as part of the sale of its storage business, including the Adaptec brand, to PMC-Sierra Inc. Adaptec managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by missing the transition from direct-connect SCSI storage to networked storage. In 2010, a slew of companies find themselves at a similar inflection point.

Interop: Weaving New Fabrics

April 29, 2010 10:00 AM

I sat down and said, with a grin, "Infiniband is dead." Asaf Somekh VP of marketing and Christy Lynch, director of corporate communications for Voltaire, took the shot well, but my comment framed the conversation in a way that was useful. Over the last few days at Interop, the differentiator--the long term differentiator--in Ethernet switching is not going to be speeds and feeds. Network performance will always improve, sometimes in baby steps, sometimes in leaps. The differentiator is services, which aren't cut from the same cloth.

iSCSI Watch: EMC and Emulex Do 10Gb

April 09, 2010 03:00 PM

On April 8, Emulex announced that its OneConnect Universal Converged Network Adapters for 10Gb iSCSI and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) are now available through EMC Select for use across the Connectrix, CLARiiON, Celerra and Symmetrix product lines. What stood out to me was that this marks the first 10Gb iSCSI connectivity solution available through EMC Select. Emulex hit three birds with one stone by tapping into the fast growing markets for iSCSI storage and 10Gb Ethernet (GbE), and by seizing an exclusive position with EMC, at least until EMC qualifies a competitor.

Is Emulex Running The HP Table?

March 02, 2010 09:00 AM

On February 26, Emulex announced that its OneConnect Universal Converged Network Adapters are available from HP. This is a massive opportunity, given that HP is the largest OEM consumer of host adapters in the world. It is also significant because time-to-sales will be quick since the new HP-branded products are available for high-volume HP ProLiant rack, tower and blade servers. This also marks a ground floor opportunity for Emulex. These products are the first host adapters available from HP to support Data Center Bridging (DCB) - a technology that underpins converged networks that will dominate the future.

Data Center Consolidation On The Cusp

January 13, 2010 01:00 PM

If you thought that packing 14 servers into a 9U space was an example of data center consolidation, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Sure, physical servers and storage units have gotten smaller, but thanks to the widespread adoption of virtual servers and the expanding use of software-based storage, network switching, I/O and even cabling, the data center is looking at perhaps a 100-to-1 or greater future ratio.