Collection of useful, relevant or inane places on the the Internets for 16 Jan 10:
Internets of Interest:8 Dec 09
9th December 2009 by 2 Comments
Collection of useful, relevant or inane places on the the Internets for 8 Dec 09:
Why Does iSCSI Use TCP Instead of IP ?
26th November 2009 by 12 Comments
The iSCSI protocol carries block data from storage array to server. Typically, that is inside a data centre where loss is not a problem. So why use TCP and have all that overhead ?
The Case Against FCoE and Fibrechannel – A Reasonably Complete View
20th April 2009 by 12 Comments
A number of storage bloggers have been questioning the relevance of FCoE and why would you bother with it. Given the size of marketing budgets pushing FCoE and the reality distortion this generates, lets look at the case AGAINST FCoE.
FCoE and the Return of Spanning Tree
14th March 2009 by 9 Comments
One of the most amusing parts about Fibre Channel over Ethernet(FCoE) is that Spanning Tree is making a triumphant comeback. And I am talking a Roman style parade after the gates to the city have been built and the streets lined with gold.
Are You Ready to Purchase a Brocade Ethernet Switch ? What ?
17th July 2008 by 12 Comments
One of the more amusing byproducts of the FCoE marketing push, is that Brocade has announced that they will producing FCoE switches for their customers. So, are you ready to buy a Brocade Ethernet switch ?
Article: The Future of Storage – Seven Fundamental Reasons Why FCoE Will Fail
20th May 2008 by Leave a Comment
An article I wrote on concerns about FCoE adoption has been posted at The Future of Storage and reviews seven reasons why FCoE might not achieve critical mass in the marketplace. Feedback appreciated. Is anyone considering using FCoE in real life ?
iSCSI Network Designs: Part 5 – iSCSI Multipathing, Host Bus Adapters, High Availability and Redundancy
16th May 2008 by 6 Comments
In iSCSI Part 3 – Server Side – iSCSI Host Bus Adapters and IP Performance I looked at how server side issues would affect the traffic generated on a per server basis. I recommended that you use iSCSI HBAs for high intensity servers to meet the high levels of performance.
The next level is evaluate how the server should connect to the network, specifically, this means how many ethernet ports you need, and what configuration is needed to support them to deliver high availability / redundancy and increased bandwidth.
Don’t Tell Me iSCSI Is Complicated if Fibrechannel Looks Like This
14th May 2008 by 4 Comments
I am working my way through the next couple of articles on iSCSI Network Design. Its getting complicated is some ways. I noticed this article todayhttp://vinf.net/2008/04/09/how-does-an-hp-fibre-channel-virtual-connect-module-work/ explaining how Fibrechannel failover work for a HP Fibrechannel Virtual Connect in a blade server chassis. It is all rather confusing, and seemingly no more complex that the iSCSI network design.
iSCSI Network Designs: Part 4 – Fibrechannel Integration
11th May 2008 by Leave a Comment
Its possible that you would already have some Fibrechannel in your estate. Perhaps the cost of Fibrechannel for some new servers is too much when you calculate the HBA and Fibrechannel switch port costs, or you don’t need the complexity of Fibrechannel for a simple server setup. Lets look at options for connecting to the Fibrechannel nteworks.
