Bridging the iSCSI Gap

Demand for low-end connectivity between iSCSI and Fibre Channel storage equipment is driving development of new, low-cost bridges that link the two worlds.

Industry sources say that small to medium-sized firms are often the ones eyeing IP storage. But these companies don't want a wholesale move to iSCSI. Instead, they want it to augment existing Fibre Channel gear. For SMBs with limited budgets, a bridge is often the simplest way to do this.

But up to now, there's been a dearth of lower-end FC-to-iSCSI bridges. A slew of higher-end solutions from Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: BRCD), Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), and McData Corp. (Nasdaq: MCDTA) perform iSCSI-to-FC conversions. But they can be overkill for smaller firms.

Cisco's SN 5428-2 Storage Router, for instance, comes with eight Fibre Channel ports and two IP ports. Though targeted at SMBs and departments, it's billed as a multiprotocol switch, with a starting price around $12,000. Sanrad Inc. has a similarly priced FC-to-iSCSI bridge.

A new breed of low-end bridge aims at a groundswell of interest in smaller connectivity wares. One of the first offerings is on the way from ATTO Technology Inc. This spring, ATTO plans to ship the iPBridge 2700C/R/D, which will link two Gigabit Ethernet-to-Fibre Channel ports with iSCSI support to two 4-Gbit/s Fibre Channel ports. The bridge will be offered as a desktop unit or as a board for OEM use.While no price has been set, ATTO specializes in lower-cost bridging equipment, including its latest offering, a new version of an iSCSI-to-SCSI bridge (see ATTO Has New Bridge). That product runs from about $1,195 to $5,700.

An ATTO spokeswoman says the company has been offering FC-to-iSCSI on an OEM basis, but demand has grown for a desktop unit as well. Hence, the release anticipated this spring.

Another industry source, who asked not to be named, says he's aware of at least one other lower-end product that's imminent from a firm other than ATTO. "There's definitely demand out there for this kind of thing," the source says. "Users want iSCSI, but they want it to work with their existing tape libraries, autoloaders, and other Fibre Channel equipment. Making use of what's already out there is the name of the game."

But another source, analyst Greg Schulz of the Evaluator Group, isn't sold on the idea of mini-bridges for the SMB market. He sees demand for FC-to-iSCSI conversion primarily in the midrange, where folk are using Fibre Channel disk and tape storage with iSCSI servers.

One thing is clear: There is more FC-to-iSCSI conversion gear to come. Yet another maker of SAN bridges, Crossroads Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CRDS), has iSCSI-to-FC bridges in its lab sack and has demonstrated them at tradeshows. A spokesman for the firm, which focuses predominantly on OEMs, indicates the company is ready to go where the market leads, be that small or large.Mary Jander, Site Editor, Byte and Switch