Ethernet dances the light fantastic
Fibre protocols over Ethernet for the Linux set
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Intel has released Linux source code, and set up a community site, to allow Fibre Channel frames to be embedded in Ethernet packets. This means companies using Fibre Channel can make more use of the protocol while maintaining their existing kit.
Open-fcoe will provide a home for developments, as well as the various tools and guides that will be needed by anyone trying the technology.
Fibre Channel can be used over copper cable, or optical connections, and allows for very fast communications, making it popular in large data centers. 10Gb Ethernet offers similar speeds, though is still a developing technology.
With the new technology, customers could get some of the performance benefits associated with Fibre Channel by tapping into existing, less expensive Ethernet networking gear tied to Linux servers.
Right now the implementation is a bit buggy, and there are parts which don't conform to the Linux license so will need to be re-written. Contributions are being sought for the development of a release version.
The Intel effort builds on a number of similar projects in the storage realm to bring Fibre Channel and Ethernet worlds closer. ®
COMMENTS
Sun has had this for years...
It's about time Linux got this, Sun has had this feature for years. This is good for interoperability.
Re: FCOE
> FCOE will NOT run over standard 10G Ethernet switches.
FCOE will run just fine over any switches that correctly implements PAUSE flow-control. The requirement for per-priority flow-control is a ploy to sell more expensive switches. Got to keep those fat FC margins somehow...
FCOE
FCoE is going to be great for the storage vendors. As it uses standard FC protocols, all they need to do is to put a FCoE front end on their storage arrays. All their software will run unchanged.
For the switch guys and the end users, not quite so straight forward. FCOE will NOT run over standard 10G Ethernet switches. New switches will be required to deliver a reliable transport (enhancements needed to the Ethernet standard) and will also be required to run FC specific services such as the FC nameserver.
So don't think you can run FCoE without a complete datacentre refresh.
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