Intelligent Fibre Channel switches bring a new variable into the equation. For software that is typically agent-based, the switch does the job that was once performed by agents, and it does it independent of the operating system, without your having to install anything on your hosts. An appealing solution. Although there's still some vendor lock-in, it's at the less-expensive switch or appliance level. Much of the software available on intelligent Fibre Channel switches is aimed at helping you move painlessly from one array vendor to another.
Reality Sets In
Like so many technologies, when intelligent Fibre Channel switches were first announced they were touted as The Next Big Thing. Now, after years of development, products are on the market and getting attention. Twenty-one percent of the storage and IT pros surveyed by the Enterprise Strategy Group said they have deployed some form of an intelligent storage network, and 16 percent said they plan to go that route within two years. Only 5 percent said they wouldn't consider intelligent storage devices.
One thing to remember: Some applications make sense on the switch, and some don't. One example of a "don't" is full-bore backups. We recommend that you run them off of a server and conserve valuable switch resources. As for the do's, quite a bit of our intelligent fabric review focuses on replication and virtualization. This is because both these applications are easier to implement and more efficient to run on the switch.
Think about it: Replication could be simply implemented as a "port map" or "port mirror" by a switch with a little bit of built-in intelligence. When a write command enters the switch, instead of sending data out the port that the LUN (logical unit number) being written to is on, the switch sends a copy out two ports--one for the primary and another for the replica. Easy, fast, independent of anything but the intelligent switch, and no vendor lock-in except if you must buy a separate replication tool if your switch vendor doesn't support replication.
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