Converged Networks and Fibre Channel over Ethernet

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Table 1. Converged Network Candidates
Network
environments
FCoE on DCB iSCSI InfiniBand iSCSI on DCB
Directory, security,
other, SAN services
Fibre Channel switch
software
iSNS (open source) (minimal) iSNS (open source)
Flow control (one
hop)
Per priority pause
(PFC) part of DCB
TCP per priority buffer
credit
PFC
Flow control (end-
to-end)
QCN (part of DCB) TCP Manual tuning of
workload
iSER or QCN
How would a cluster
connection be added
here?
RoCEE iWARP (RDMA
over TCP)
InfiniBand is the
lowest latency,
fastest cluster
network today
RoCEE
Comments
Best coexistence with
and transition plan
for Fibre Channel
Success in smaller
environments and
not enterprise
Success only in low
latency and
supercomputer
environments
including storage
system internals
Emerging limited
vendor support
Convergence strategies
As two of the largest data center infrastructure providers, HP and Cisco have significant impact on the direction of
current and future network convergence efforts. Given the nature of its core business, it’s understandable that Cisco has
a network centric approach. HP is more aligned with the overall business solution in which the software and applications
are a central focus. The applications are the tenants of the network infrastructure and HP supports this viewpoint with a
broad portfolio of business optimization software. Table 2 compares the contrasting HP and Cisco strategies driven by
these different approaches to the data center.
Table 2. This table shows the contrasting data center networking strategies between HP and Cisco.
Category Cisco HP
Fundamental
strategy for data
center
infrastructure
Control all data center communications including
storage protocols
Develop and provide innovative solutions using
industry standard protocols and mechanisms
L2 network design
strategy
Hierarchical model with fabric extensions /
centralize control
Flatter, less complicated L2 networks / removing
the hierarchy where possible
Leverage intelligent resilient framework (IRF) to
facilitate flatter L2 networks
Compute strategy
Control all network end points, including server
nodes, from upstream hierarchy similar to
traditional network designs.
Increase network end point capability allowing
management to occur from multiple levels
including software.
Provide and support compute node connectivity of
any type.
Intelligence &
management
Push all management to switch devices up the
hierarchy
Allow management to occur at node level and
promote management distribution
Remove intelligence from network end points Develop intelligence at all levels – server, chassis,
cabinet, network and storage
Fabric connectivity
Cisco provides solutions in the multi-layer SAN
switch segment and strives to provide unique and
sometimes proprietary options for an all Cisco
infrastructure
remain open and flexible wherever possible to
maintain compatibility with existing dc
architectures
support any standards-based upstream network
for Ethernet, Fibre Channel and InfiniBand