Article: 10 Gigabit Ethernet: Unifying iSCSI And Fibre Channel In A Single Network Fabric

By Achmad Chadran, Gaurav Chawla, Ujjwal Rajbhandari

The advent of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE), Data Center Bridging (DCB), and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) offers enhanced performance and throughput for connecting networked storage to servers. Whether using the Internet SCSI (iSCSI) or Fibre Channel protocols, organizations now have a clear path for unifying a network fabric in 10GbE environments.

Networked storage can provide several key advantages for organizations, including cost reduction and increased efficiency—but it also presents challenges. Storage area networks (SANs) can add their own complexity, and organizations often require increasing levels of throughput for connecting networked storage to servers as the enterprise grows.

The arrival of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) along with the Data Center Bridging (DCB) and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) specifications holds the promise of a truly converged network fabric. These technologies offer IT administrators a clear path for unifying Internet SCSI (iSCSI) and Fibre Channel SANs while providing enhanced levels of storage efficiency, increased throughput, and cost-effective network storage deployment in their data centers.